Clear as Day
by E.C. Hater
Summary: Voldemort is on the rise. Future death eaters walk the halls of Hogwarts. And doing nothing, it turns out, is the same as letting them win. (formerly No One Sees You Fly)
1. Chapter 1

Okay, this is a co-authored story, so to tell the two authors apart, just think of the author of the first chapter as Arlington. P_M will be writing the next one.

* * *

Alyssa waved goodbye to her parents from the train before turning and tripping over her trunk.

"Perfect," she grumbled, shoving honey-brown hair from her eyes as she picked herself up off the ground. "Five years and I _still_ trip over the thing."

"But it wouldn't start off the school year correctly if you didn't," someone pointed out from behind her. "It's tradition."

"Tradition," Alyssa told her friend Razi Levine, "Can go-" here she described something anatomically improbable.

"Now, Blythe," an amused voice drawled, "Is that any way for one of our esteemed prefects to act?"

"Since I'm not a prefect, Black, I don't see why it should matter," Alyssa retorted, brushing dust from her knees.

"Means you owe me a sickle, Padfoot," yet another voice said from behind her. "I told you it'd be Stowe."

"Could've been Beech," Sirius Black commented to James Potter.

"Moony says it's Stowe."

"Lupin would know," Razi said.

The boys eyed her. Razi was a bit of an anomaly: a muggleborn sorted into Slytherin. As early as her first year it had become obvious to her that making friends within her own house would be difficult at best. Ever practical, Razi had one day dropped her books onto the table occupied by Alyssa and their other friend Delaney Stowe and announced to the startled Ravenclaws that she had noticed their trouble in Transfiguration and was there to assist.

One small catfight and a visit to the headmaster later, the girls were fast friends.

"Razi, help me with my trunk?" Alyssa asked, pulled out of her reverie by the slight jerk that indicated the train was beginning to move.

"We have two fine, strapping young men right here!" Razi protested, gesturing towards Black and Potter.

"While we are indeed fine," Potter began.

"And undoubtedly strapping," Black put in.

"We have already lifted our fair share of trunks this afternoon," Potter finished.

"You're exhausted from moving Evans' trunk?" Razi asked incredulously.

"Alas," James sighed dramatically, "The fair Lily declined my services."

"Which ones did you offer?" Alyssa asked dryly.

Razi and Black snorted.

"Oh, very funny, Blythe," Potter retorted sourly.

"It was an honest question," she protested, doing her best to keep a straight face.

Just then, a taller boy, already attired in school robes, his Head Boy badge fastened to the front, swept towards them. Alyssa winced at the expression on her brother's face, the one that said he had absolute authority and he knew it.

"Alyssa, your trunk is blocking the hallway," Jonathan said imperiously. "I've had complaints."

"Give it a rest, Blythe," Black said irritably. "Nobody's even been by in the last ten minutes."

That wasn't strictly true, or at least Potter and Black couldn't really attest to it, as they had only been there for a few minutes, but Alyssa decided to hold her tongue.

"Are Potter and Black getting you into mischief already, 'Lyss?" Jonathan Blythe demanded of his younger sister, glaring at the boys.

"As if she couldn't get into trouble all her own," Potter grumbled.

"They were just offering to help her with her trunk, actually," Razi piped up, ignoring the unhappy looks Potter and Black sent her way.

Those looks quickly changed to innocent ones when Jonathan turned his gaze to them.

"Well," he said after a moment. "That's surprisingly kind of you." He did not sound entirely convinced. He looked even less so.

Razi shrugged, a gesture that seemed to convey that she didn't really care if he believed her or not. Right about then, a very loud argument started up several compartments down.

"Carry on, then. I'll check on you later, 'Lyss." He swept off again, heading for the confrontation. It looked as though wands were about to be drawn.

"I'm not sure if he meant that to be ominous or reassuring," Alyssa said after a moment.

"He probably doesn't even know," Razi replied.

"No offense, Blythe," Black said, "But your brother's kind of a prat."

Alyssa shrugged. Potter and Black probably though anybody in authority was a bit of a prat, with the possible exception of Lupin.

"He's not that bad," she told them as they helped her wrestle the trunk towards the compartment that Razi was holding open.

Jonathan was the reason that she had stopped writing daily letters to her parents begging them to come take her home, using his third year seniority to run off the second years who liked to pick on the shy girl with no friends and bringing her treats back from Hogsmeade. He didn't stop either activity once she actually had friends.

She could put up with the bossiness and the occasional dash of megalomania.

Potter was eyeing her with incredulity as she lost her balance, narrowly avoiding crushing her feet when she lost her grip on the trunk and hit the floor again.

"Save some dust for everybody else, Alyssa," Razi advised as she leaned against the compartment entrance.

"There's Remus," Black said, pointing.

"I think you ladies can handle it from here," Potter said smoothly. He and Black deposited the trunk on the ground next to Alyssa, who was still lying on the floor.

"See you around," Black said with a jaunty salute, and the two boys left, no doubt to visit some mischief on a poor unsuspecting soul.

Razi eyed her friend. "Are you planning on getting up some time this year?" she asked.

"No," Alyssa said petulantly. "I think I'll just lay here until term's over."

"Jonathan might take issue with that when he comes to check on you," Razi pointed out.

Alyssa groaned and managed to pick herself up off the floor. The trunk did not trip her again, though she was sure it was just considering new tactics.

* * *

Arlington's A/N: AND SO IT BEGINS. Or something. Since this is co-authored, I have no timeframe for the posting of the next chapter. However, since P_M is a far more reliable updater than I am, I don't think it will be a very long wait.


	2. Chapter 2

A short note from Arlington: You'll notice a distinct difference in writing styles. P_M is much more talented. Pooh on her.

* * *

"We should probably get settled before Delaney finishes her Prefect duties. I've got some…errands to run while she still has plausible deniability," Razi said after a moment. "Am I with you, or have I gone to look for the witch with the snack cart?"

"I want no part in any of this," Alyssa said firmly before removing a book from her trunk and settling comfortably into one of the seats in the compartment, "Happy hunting."

Satisfied that her friend was sufficiently distracted by her book, Razi put several of her favorite invisibility and silencing spells on herself before heading out of the compartment.

Taking care to wait for someone else to open the door of the compartments that she passed through, Razi slipped unseen down the through the train to the compartment of one Joshua Avery.

"That Levine girl had better learn some respect this year. My father taught me some wicked spells that they don't teach at school," he bragged to his friends. He and Razi had been rivals since they'd met in the Slytherin common room on their very first night in the castle.

Razi paid him no mind. She was waiting just inside the doorway, standing very still, and remembering the games of hide and seek she'd played as a child. Eventually, Avery opened his trunk and Razi made her move. She whispered a few spells, weaving a prank with efficiency born of practice, and in her mind she pictured Avery as he'd looked in their third year when he called her mother a loose woman, using far less respectable terms. That hadn't been the first time, and it hadn't been the last, but this set of pranks, in this moment, would be her vengeance for that specific slight. Avery would never know the who or why of it, but Razi knew. That was enough.

When her work was done to her satisfaction, she waited until one of the boys got up to use the loo and made her escape, stopping in the first empty compartment that she could find to undo the spells that hid her. Then she made her way to her compartment, keeping a casual eye out for the snack trolley as she went.

___________________________________________________________________---

"For the last time, Delaney, she's off looking for the snack trolley. If you're so determined to protect the Hogwarts population from the results of a few random acts of tomfoolery, go find her yourself," Alyssa said, with no small amount of exasperation in her voice. Delaney had been asking about Razi's whereabouts since she'd arrived from meeting with the other prefects and stopping to check in with some of her other friends.

"I really should, and I should take points this time too. Honestly, jinxing people who've slighted her just because she can! It's positively-"

"Slytherin," Razi interrupted with a smirk as she sat down in the compartment and handed her friends each a chocolate frog. "Because if that's what you were going to say, I'd have to point out that if whomever you were talking about were in Slytherin that would likely be the point. How was your summer?"

Delaney gave a weary sigh before answering, "Boring and lonely as ever, though I did get through a few off our old textbooks and rewrote my notes in preparation for the OWLs. And yours?"

"Well enough, my mother and I traveled. We saw 30 new places, bought 30 souvenirs, and tried 30 different flavors of cake to celebrate her 30th birthday. We made half of them big shared ones, to celebrate mine," Razi replied, smiling slightly at the thought of her flighty, loving mother, "What about you, Alyssa?"

"The usual. Dull social functions involving epic amounts of small talk with society's richest and purest, though I did actually see Potter and Black at few. They let me get samples of the food before they pranked it, once and Black said that he liked my dress robes. Mind you, he said it before making them flash red and gold, but really..."

"He said that he liked your dress robes? Delaney, he complimented her mother's fashion sense! Do you know what this means," Razi said with mocking excitement. Delaney smiled and played along, trying not to laugh.

"Oh yes! Any day now we'll see the wedding announcement in the paper: Mrs. Irene Blythe to be married to one Sirius Black. Of course it'll be quite the scandal," she said in a rapturous tone.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "If you don't shut up, everyone will be too busy reading about your 'unfortunate accident' on the train to pay the wedding announcements much mind. Delaney, is it time for robes yet?"

"I think so, we're nearly there."

The three of them put on their robes, and Delaney polished her prefect badge, and when the train stopped a few moments later they got into a thestral drawn carriage and rode towards the castle. When they stopped, Razi stared at the reins that seemed to float above the ground, before reaching up and petting the thestral.

"There's a good one," she murmured, "Thanks for the ride."

A sound like hoof beats and rustling wings was all the response she got before Delaney pulled her away, looking more than a little concerned.

"Every time you do that, you claim that you still can't see them, and every time I believe you less," she said quietly.

"So I've noted. Perhaps I'll just stop saying it, while part of you still knows that it's true," Razi replied, smiling. Something in her liked to make Delaney worry on occasion. It really was too easy.

"Razi, I know that you're rather fond of them, but could you leave the thestrals be so that we can go inside and eat? I'm starving," Alyssa said with enough superiority in her voice to hide the fact that she was whining.

Razi and Delaney shared a look and followed Alyssa before she could get too far ahead.

They walked in a crowd with the rest of the school, Alyssa shooting glances at people that bumped into her, as if to ask who had offered them the honor of stepping into her personal space, while Razi prepared for her inevitable banishment to the Slytherin table.

Sure enough, Jonathan was waiting by the doors as they entered the great hall. When Razi moved to follow her friends to the Ravenclaw table, he walked over and intercepted her.

"Ms. Levine, last I checked, you weren't a Ravenclaw."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me of that, Mr. Blythe, before I'd sat down and corrupted the Ravenclaw table with all of my pure Slytherin evil. Now if you'd step out of my way, I'll just escort my horrible self to the dungeons, but maybe I could have dinner first?" she asked with cheerful sarcasm.

The head girl, who'd approached during Razi's expression of gratitude, was quite displeased.

"You heard him Levine, now get to your table before Slytherin starts the year with negative points," she said stuffily.

"Enjoy your meal everyone. Delaney, Alyssa, I'll see you tomorrow before breakfast," she said politely before turning and walking to an unoccupied seat in a relatively empty section of Slytherin table and proceeding to make mental lists of people whispering about her. They'd know someday just how much of a Slytherin she was. They didn't have to accept her just then.

Alyssa and Delaney settled in at the Ravenclaw table without further event, and soon after that the sorting started.

The sorting song that year was fairly typical. Realistically speaking, how many ways can one hat give the same set details? Suffice it to say that by the end of the song, all the first years were well informed of the facts. All gryffindors were heroes; all slytherins villains; all ravenclaws nerds; and all hufflepuffs… well, they were lovely but otherwise normal individuals who were not heroes, villains, or nerds.

It should be noted that had a certain Miss Blythe heard any of that, she'd have objected greatly to those stereotypes. Razi, it should also be noted, would likely have just gone very quiet for a moment before proceeding to change the subject.

After the sorting, Headmaster Dumbledore stood to make his start of term announcements.

"Welcome, students! There will be food and friendship in spades when I've finished but first, a few announcements. Firstly the Forbidden Forest is just that: Forbidden."

At the Ravenclaw table Alyssa proceeded to murmur, "Shock! Horror! Scandal!" as Delaney and Amanda Beech, another Ravenclaw in their year, laughed quietly.

"Secondly, I will remind you that due to misuse by certain students, exploding gumballs are no longer allowed at this school. If they are discovered, they will be confiscated and house points will be taken. Finally, I would like to say a few words. Soporific, incomprehensible, hair-brained and odd. Enjoy your dinner and your year."

"Hey, ladies, I think he just described Divination class," Amanda pointed out, amused.

Delaney laughed, and Alyssa would have laughed if her mouth hadn't been full. She'd grabbed for the food in the same instant that it had appeared, and was now making steady progress through enough food for a small army.

"So, have either of you read that new charms article about potential flaws in the swat and flick method?" Delaney asked as she filled her plate.

"Oh yes! Of course! It was quite fascinating, apparently all the masters are swishing instead of swatting now," Amanda replied, interested.

An origami crane made of a napkin floated over to Alyssa, who stopped eating to read it.

"Razi says that it's rather good that no one is starting to 'swoosh' as well because then they might sound rather silly. Don't ask me how she knows what you're discussing, she just does. She always does. Stop being a show off, Razi."

A moment later, another note floated over.

"She says that she wouldn't have to if my brother would let her sit with us. Even the professors don't usually mind. She would also like to tell us goodnight and that she's leaving as soon as soon as a few other Slytherins finish. Razi, it's different for the sorting feast. You know that. Goodnight."

"Night, Razi," Delaney said as well. She wasn't entirely certain that the girl could hear, but with Razi there were times when all you could really do was play along and keep faith.

A while later, a large group of older Slytherins left the feast. Razi walked out a moment or two after they did.

Her friends at Ravenclaw table left soon after, still discussing the relative benefits of swishing as compared to swatting and the research methods used to discover them. Soon enough, it was time for the prefects to lead the first years up to the dorms.

Alyssa followed behind Amanda and Delaney, smiling as one of the first years behind her starting reciting a page from _Hogwarts: a History_. Later, as she lay in bed, the thought of that first year would warm something deep in her heart. No matter what happened, there would always be her house, with its endless supply of ready minds and quick wits.

Elsewhere in the castle, Razi put the finishing touches on a charm that wake her if magic were cast near her bed before closing her eyes and imagining that the magic within her was something that she could feel, a more tangible sort of power, dangerous though unseen. For her, there would always be that power. Her certainty didn't warm her in the slightest.

* * *

P_M A/N: Arlington is far too kind, maybe... well anyway thanks for reading this chapter and I guess I'll see you after Arlington manages to pop out the next one. Feel free to review, if you wouldn't mind. Razi might like it if you did...


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the sleepy Ravenclaws trooped down to breakfast. Razi was already tucking into the food, her Charms book open a little to the left of where she sat at what was technically the Ravenclaw table.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully, spreading jam onto another piece of toast.

"Nothing good about it," a boy grumbled from a little ways down the table, his head pillowed on his arms.

Razi ignored him, instead wrinkling her nose at the contents of Alyssa's breakfast plate.

"Good Call, Pratchett," Amanda said sleepily to the boy.

Alyssa and Delaney just ate. There was no living with either of them until they'd finished breakfast.

After Alyssa had polished off a pile of bacon, numerous baked goods (including three slices of toast), and two glasses of pumpkin juice, she managed speech. Well actually, she managed a string of garbled sounds around a mouthful of toast, but Razi answered anyway.

"No, they haven't passed out schedules yet, and I've told you a million times that talking with your mouth full, it's disgusting."

Alyssa swallowed and shrugged. It was early.

Early for Alyssa, of course, was normal for most of her friends; and for most of her enemies; and for about half of the people that she didn't know enough about to classify as either.

Razi and Alyssa chatted, and if Razi talked more, it was because Alyssa was still nibbling at the remains of the food on her plate. Eventually, they noticed that Delaney wasn't participating.

"Laney?"Alyssa asked.

"Who? Nothing! What?" Delaney snapped to attention.

"All I said was your name," Alyssa told her.

"Oh."

Razi and Alyssa eyed her suspiciously.

"Look," Delaney said hastily, "Professor McGonagall's passing out the schedules."

Alyssa allowed herself to be distracted after one level look and turned to answer a question from Amanda, leaving Razi to scan the general direction of Delaney's gaze. Razi would tell her about it later.

Professor McGonagall was two people away from Alyssa when a conversation reached her ears.

"Blythe and Wesson are looking chummy," a snide male voice commented.

Alyssa blinked, thrown for a moment. When had she ever been close to the head girl?

"Jealous, Garth?" a different voice asked, amused. "She's only turned you down three times, after all."

Ah. They were talking about her brother. Well of course he and Sarah Wesson were friendly. They'd only been in school together for seven years. That tended to make you friendly if only for reasons of survival, though Alyssa couldn't really conceive of being friendly with Avery at any point in her life.

"I'm not jealous-"Garth sputtered.

"Don't worry, Garth," a female voice interrupted smoothly. "Blythe's no competition. I don't think he even-"

"Ms. Blythe."

Professor McGonagall interrupted Alyssa's eavesdropping. Something about her tone told Alyssa that it wasn't the first time that the professor had tried to get her attention.

Alyssa blinked at her. "Yes, Professor?"

"Your schedule, Blythe. Unless you've begun to demonstrate some previously unknown talent for divination, I assure you you'll need it."

"No, Professor. I mean, yes, Professor." Alyssa blushed as the other Ravenclaws snickered.

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her and moved on. Razi's and Delaney's schedules were delivered without incident and Alyssa put the conversation to the back of her mind as Razi compared schedules with her.

"Pratchett," Alyssa began as she passed her schedule to Razi for comparison," Do you know who got captain?"

"That would be me," Pratchett said proudly.

"Congratulations," Alyssa told him. "Do you know when you'll hold tryouts yet?"

"Not yet. I'll be sure to let you know. You might have a bit of competition this year, though. I've heard some of the second years aced flying last term."

Alyssa nodded and turned back to her friends.

"Excellent!" Razi exclaimed. "We've got double Charms later today, and double Transfiguration on Thursday!"

Alyssa made a face. The plus side of having doubles with Razi was that Razi would be in class with them. The downside was that the other Slytherin first years would be, too. Including Avery. Great.

"Double Potions with the Gryffindors, too," Delaney said excitedly.

Alyssa and Razi traded glances of surprise. Since when did Delany care so much about the Gryffindors?

"What's so exciting about that?" Amanda asked, as confused as the other two.

"Oh, nothing," Delaney said, "It's just I think this is the first time we've had potions with the Gryffindors."

"Except for first year," Alyssa commented.

"And third year," Amanda contributed.

"Remember, Alyssa complained incessantly about Lily Evans showing her up?" Razi prompted.

"I did not," Alyssa protested. "I merely commented that if Evans wasn't there I'd have been the top of the class!"

"Snape has been heard to say the same thing," Razi said. "You can't both be right."

Alyssa gave a dismissive sniff. Exposure to Potter and Black had, over the years, left her with a general distaste for Severus Snape.

"I'm telling you," she heard from behind her in hushed tones, "Blythe's not interested in Wesson."

"He's too busy giving me a hard time to be interested in Wesson," another voice, this one familiar, grumbled. "I was only five minutes after curfew!"

"I had a different explanation," the first voice told the second, "But forgive me. I had forgotten for a moment that the universe does indeed revolve around you, Avery, despite all claims to the contrary."

"Oh, shut up," Avery retorted.

"Blythe's not interested in Wesson, Garth, and if she's interested in him, she will be greatly disappointed," the first voice continued impatiently. "I keep telling you he's-"

"Alyssa! What is going on with you? We'll miss Herbology if you don't hurry up!"

Alyssa jumped at Amanda's call and gathered her books.

What in the world was that about? Alyssa wondered. It could be totally innocent, of course (it was hardly illegal to gossip about the Head Boy), but Avery was involved. That never, in Alyssa's experience, meant anything good.

Double Herbology was, unfortunately, with the Slytherins, and to make matters worse Razi was partnered with someone on the other side of the greenhouse. It didn't bother Razi all that much; she simply feigned interest in the assignment while setting the framework for several new pranks, muttering spells when her partner wasn't paying attention.

Alyssa was less lucky. The entire time, she was sure that Avery was staring at her, despite numerous assurances from Delaney ("Well of course he wouldn't let you see him! He knows you'd tell me! ... You would tell me, right?"), and every time her laughed, which was often, she wondered if she could get away with stuffing a snargaluff pod down his throat.

Amanda told her she was being paranoid. Alyssa informed her that if Avery had once managed to completely destroy her summer homework, she'd be nervous too.

"He violated the sanctity of summer! I mean, who does that?"

"There's summer sanctity?"Amanda asked, curious.

"Not anymore," Alyssa whined.

"How'd he even get to your homework, 'Lyss?"

Delaney actually looked up from her notes.

"My parents invited his parents over for dinner. We are apparently supposed to get along just because we're both pureblood and the same age, and Jonathan wasn't there to remind me how sneaky Avery is."

Alyssa cut the snargaluff pod open with more force than was necessary.

"You have to hang out with Avery over the summer?" Amanda asked, aghast.

"Where have you been every year she's complained about it?" Delaney ignored the glare that Alyssa sent her for that.

Herbology passed with only a few more bursts of laughter from Avery. None the less, Alyssa's first words to Razi when she rejoined them at lunch were "I HATE him."

"I'm working on it," Razi replied as she pulled out her Charms book and started reading.

"Don't tell me, I need plausible deniability," Delaney ordered.

Razi nodded and continued to read as Alyssa flopped huffily onto the bench and proceeded to fill her plate.

"How can you eat that much?" Amanda asked incredulously.

"I'm a growing girl," Alyssa retorted.

"I take it Herbology didn't go smoothly," Jonathan said dryly, sliding in next to his sister.

"Herbology went fine," Delaney informed him. "Alyssa is just being paranoid about Avery."

"It's not paranoid if he's really out to get me," Alyssa muttered.

"Is there something specific I should look out for?" he asked.

"I'm already taking care of it," Razi told him, still appearing absorbed in her book.

"I thought I asked you not to tell me these things," Jonathan said mildly.

Razi finally looked up and, blinking, asked, "Why are you sitting here then?"

"I'm checking in with my sister," Jonathan said. "Surely a Ravenclaw can check in with his equally Ravenclaw sister- or has that changed under my esteemed colleague's reign?"

"As you know," Razi replied, "I rarely pay attention to the rules, save for my own purposes. I am, therefore, not the best person to inquire of."

"One would think you would need to know the rules before you set out to break them."

"Ah, you assume that breaking the rule is a goal; on the contrary, they simply get in my way."

"You object to rules, then?"

"I am, in general, a great proponent of rules. They keep small minded people in line and make it easier to operate."

"You claim that those who follow rules are all small minded?"

"I claim anyone who lets a paltry rule get in the way of what is necessary to be small minded, yes."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. Razi and Jonathan had a variant of the same discussion every year.

"And who decides what is necessary?" Jonathan continued.

"Who makes your rules?" Razi shot back, before ignoring Jonathan altogether in favor of eating her lunch and reading a bit more from her book.

Alyssa took the opportunity to enjoy a pleasant few moments of conversation with her brother, reminding him to owl home and asking after his wellbeing before lunch ended and everyone parted ways to head off to their respective classes.


	4. Chapter 4

They had double Charms lessons with Professor Flitwick after lunch, and, having done most of her "extra-curricular" work during Herbology, Razi took a seat next to Alyssa prepared to take notes. When her desk space was set up just the way that she liked it, she looked up and watched with some degree of amusement as the good professor made his way up the stack of books that he stood on to see over his desk.

Professor Flitwick started class with the usual roll call, before greeting the class and issuing a slight warning.

"Hello everyone, it's good to see all of you back here and ready to start your fifth year. This year we'll be covering quite a bit of new and complex magic so I'd like to remind you all to be attentive and responsible," he said, his eyes meeting Razi's briefly before he looked away and continued, "In your practice and use of the charms that you learn here. Now, if everyone has read the article on the Swish and Flick method that I assigned over the summer…"

He discussed the article and asked several of the students to assess the veracity of its claims based on what they knew of magical theory before giving them the rest of the class to experiment with swishing versus swatting on simple spells.

As they worked, the group talked softly.

"I don't know why he feels the need to remind me to be responsible every year," Razi said with a roll of her eyes.

"Because you never are," Delaney responded, smiling.

"Oh, but I'm quite responsible! Nothing I've done since second year has ever affected anyone other than the one it was supposed to."

"Razi, being deliberate and being responsible are two entirely different things," Alyssa said practically, then asked, "Hey remember that weird spell you tried to use to make your notes only legible to you? Do you think it could have used a swish instead of a swat?"

"I think," Amanda cut in, "That you both could use a swat. Now will one of you help me with this swishing motion? I don't think I've got it quite right."

Delaney helped her out, earning three house points for generosity, and a while later class ended.

The four of them were walking along the Charms corridor on the way to their next classes when a rather excited seeming Gryffindor first year came running up and stopped right in front of Razi.

"Hi! Are you Razi Levine?" the young girl asked, wide-eyed and grinning.

"Yes," Razi replied cautiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Someone told me that you were a poor excuse for a Slytherin."

Alyssa and Delaney moved to put themselves between the two of them while Amanda simply closed her eyes and began reciting what sounded like last rites for the bold young Gryffindor. Razi simply smirked coldly before shooting back, "I can see for myself that you have a poor excuse for a face. Now run along young lion, I'll allow this because you're new, but I suggest you learn quickly. Your kind doesn't converse with snakes."

The girl tilted her head slightly to the side, frowning slightly before, grinning and saying, "I think that they were wrong. You're a great Slytherin." Then she ran off, presumably to her next class.

Razi blinked for a moment before allowing a rather pleased smirk to flash on her face. Then she murmured a quick farewell to the Ravenclaws, who were still stunned by the Gryffindor's injury free escape, before vanishing into the crowds as she moved towards Binns' classroom.

A moment later, their much lauded wits returned to them and they left, still hoping to arrive early to their next class.

* * *

Razi took a seat near the Gryffindor side during History of Magic; the better to hide her laughter when her first prank of the year came to fruition.

She raised her hand and spoke the trigger for the spells under the guise of asking a question.

"Sir, I've heard that the goblin Stonehook had quite the reputation for cruelty. Is that true?"

The prank would turn honorifics into insults until someone told him to have "a nice detention".

Razi didn't have long to wait before seeing her work in action.

"Mr. Avery," Professor Binns instructed, floating towards him, "Answer Ms. Levine's question. I believe that it was covered in the summer reading."

"Yes Twit," he answered, jumping slightly and looking more than a little astonished when he realized what he'd said, " I'm sorry, Fool…I mean Freak."

He stumbled over his words, trying and failing to say something appropriate.

"I will not be insulted in my own classroom," Binns said in a slightly tenser version of his typical monotone. "If you continue, I shall have to assign you detention."

The Gryffindors were laughing and snickering openly and even Razi had to giggle for an instant, though she would rather die than have such a term applied to her laughter.

"But Cretan," Avery cried standing.

"Mr. Avery, detention and 20 points from Slytherin."

Avery moved to object but then quickly decided against it. He spent the rest of class trying to figure out who'd cursed him.

"I'll bet it was Blythe," he thought on impulse, "Maybe she heard what I said about her brother. Then again, it's not really her style. Who else? Maybe Beech grew a spine…"

After class Avery grabbed his book and shoved it into his bag before walking off to dinner. Razi walked up beside him.

"Have a nice detention," she said. Her tone was warmer than she typically allowed and she locked eyes with him as she spoke.

"It was you," He hissed after a moment.

"Prove it," she said pleasantly, before walking away with a small smile.

She walked slowly after that, basking in her moment of triumph until, for the second time that day, her thoughts were interrupted by a stray Gryffindor demanding her attention. This time it was one Douglass Stark, a fellow fifth year.

"What? Do you want to know if I'm a poor excuse for a Slytherin too?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Were the Gryffindors losing their minds?

"Well, no. What?" he asked flustered.

"Nothing, just tell me what you want, and quickly, so I can go to dinner."

"You're Stowe's friend-"

"Time's up. Now run back to your common room and have someone remind you of how things work around here," she said before turning and walking away. He followed.

"I just want to know," he tried again.

"Look, Stark I am not wearing green because it's my favorite color. I'm a Slytherin and you? You are an impulsive nut with a hero complex. You don't talk to me," Razi hissed before walking off and disappearing so effectively that even the narrator lost track of her.

Later Razi could be found sitting next to Alyssa at the Ravenclaw table eating dinner.

"So, Razi," Alyssa began between bites of food, "Apparently Avery was insulting Binns in your class today."

"Oh yes, didn't I tell you?" Razi replied idly.

"Do I want to know?" Alyssa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you're a Ravenclaw so I'd imagine that you want to know quite a few things, if, perhaps, not that," Razi replied noncommittally. "You might, however, like to know why Delaney is so distracted that she doesn't notice me talking about her."

The two paused and watched Delaney for a moment but she didn't respond.

"Well," Alyssa prompted.

"There seems to be a mutual attraction forming between our friend and Stark, that fifth year Gryffindor. She's been staring at him and he tried to ask me about her today."

Alyssa considered this information for a moment before standing and walking towards the Gryffindor table.

She plopped down in the seat next to stark and said, "So you want to know about Delaney, do you?"

"Yes, actually," he said slowly, as though unsure if he should be confirming it.

"Here's what you need to know. We are Ravenclaws. We solve problems with reason, knowledge, and intelligence. You are a Gryffindor. You run at things waving sticks, sometimes ineffectually. If you hurt my friend we shall see how far all of that stick waving gets you," she murmured darkly before standing and returning to her table.

Stark went back to his meal until a note seemed to appear beside his plate.

"Touch her, or even look at her for too long and there will be no hiding from the resulting torment," the note read.

He looked up to see Razi looking into his eyes as though daring him to disregard her warning. When he glanced back down, the note was gone.

He stared at the place where it had been for a moment before looking up again to see Delaney berating Alyssa and wondered if he really wanted to risk the ire of her friends by attempting to get close to her.

Then she smiled and he knew, with the certainty of a man blinded by the will of his heart, that he would risk that and more to see that smile directed at him.

At the Ravenclaw table, while Delaney and Alyssa were arguing over exactly how necessary Alyssa's warning was, Razi was casually eavesdropping on several conversations at once and waiting for a moment to join in on the conversation.

"Stop going on about Wesson for a moment, you twit," Avery was hissing Garth, "I've been trying to tell you that Blythe is-"

Razi deliberately turned her attention away. She knew exactly what he'd been about to say, but she wouldn't be honor bound to tell Alyssa unless she actually heard him say it. She made herself focus on her friends' argument.

"That doesn't explain why you felt the need to corner him like that. What did you think he might do?" Delaney demanded, frustrated.

"Nothing," Razi answered, entering the argument and earning a glare from Alyssa until she continued, "He might do nothing, just like my father did and the something that resulted might be more than you're ready for. He might do any number of things, but a little fear can be just the thing to make sure that what he does do is either pleasant or harmless."

"You're our friend," Alyssa added. "Let us look out for you."

"Fine," Delaney said tiredly. "But no more threats."

"No new threats and no undeserved reminders," Razi bargained.

"Deal."

The three of them went on to discuss what had been covered in their classes and who was staring at whom, of all things. ("No, Alyssa, Avery is not still staring at you… well of course Potter and Snape are staring at Evans, when are they not?")

After a while dinner ended and the Ravenclaws made their way up to their perch. Razi, as always, descended into the dungeons.

When she got to space in the wall that stood as the entrance to the Slytherin common room, she whispered the password, "Facilus descensus averni," before walking on through. She kept to the shadows as she made her way to her dorm, avoiding the whispers that sometimes followed her behind her like lost things. She showered and dressed for bed under the protection several shield and privacy charms before setting the usual alarms and sitting down to think behind the closed curtains of her bed.

First, she thought about her mother, pulling out a photo of the two of them from the summer. Well, it was supposed to be a photo of the two of them, but some trick of the lighting had made it more of a picture of her mother with a large white glob leaning against her. Razi smiled at the picture though, a real smile that spread across her face and made the world a happier place as opposed to her usual ones; those usually meant that someone was in trouble. Her mother had given birth to her when she'd been fifteen years old, and the two had gotten along remarkably well ever since. In honor of her fifteenth birthday the previous summer, her mother had spoken more candidly than ever before about what it had been like to be a mother at such a young age. No one could be ready for that, least of all Razi and her friends. Razi wasn't even prepared to tell Alyssa about the rumors that were spreading about her brother.

They were getting hard to ignore, and it had only been a day since they'd arrived back at school. The last thing that Razi wanted was to be the messenger in this case, at least not until she could predict Alyssa's reaction, and that was worrying. There was only so long that she could continue "not hearing" the ends of sentences, and even then, the rumors had originated from her house. Razi could know that she'd done right by the letter of the unwritten rules of friendship, but if Alyssa had reason to distrust her, all the knowing in the world wouldn't amount to proof.

Razi sighed deeply, lying back onto her bed. Hers was the house of Salazar Slytherin, a man of prejudice yes, but more so a man of cunning. If there was any way to make it through this minefield in one piece, Razi, who, it might be added, was most certainly not a poor excuse for a Slytherin, would find it.

* * *

Hey this is P_M and I have to say now that I really, really promise that I don't hate Gryffindors and neither does Razi or Alyssa, all houses will be picked on in due time.

Thanks for reading and for your patience, see you in a couple chapters :)


	5. Chapter 5

Alyssa made a face as Slughorn complimented Lily Evans on yet another potion made perfectly. "I don't understand," she complained. "I follow all the instructions in the book to a T-"

"Except when you don't," Amanda pointed out.

"My alterations work better than what's in the book," Alyssa retorted. "My point is that even when I _do_ make alterations and they work perfectly, which is most often the case, Evans' potions still come out better."

"So you're jealous of Evans, blah blah. This is different from every year before how?"

"How is she in Gryffindor?" Alyssa demanded, ignoring Amanda. "It makes no sense, and it upsets the natural order of things."

"The natural order of things being…?"

"Our house's complete superiority when it comes to brains. It's what we _do_. It is the entire purpose of being in – Delaney, are you even listening to me?"

Instead of responding, Delaney dropped too much armadillo bile into her potion. The potion promptly turned a virulent purple instead of the sunny yellow it should have been at this stage and belched a mushroom cloud of foul-smelling smoke into Delaney's face.

"Too much armadillo bile," Alyssa told her.

"Thank you, Alyssa," Delaney managed to cough out. "If you hadn't told me, I don't know what I would have done."

Alyssa passed her some undiluted bobotuber puss. "Try adding a splash of this."

Delaney sighed and obeyed, watching her potion turn a bluish green.

"Try another one."

The potion was back to yellow.

"Excellent," Alyssa murmured. "It had a bit less of an effect than I expected, but that was easily compensated for-"

"You used my potion to conduct an experiment?" Delaney asked.

"What if it had exploded?" Amanda hissed.

"Have I steered you wrong yet?"

Delaney and Amanda both opened their mouths.

"Where potions were concerned!" Alyssa amended hastily. "And it _worked_, didn't it?"

The three of them were still arguing about it when they trooped to lunch.

"Razi!" Delaney cried. "Would you _please_ tell Alyssa that using my botched potions to conduct experiments while still in class is a bad idea!"

"If you had been paying attention to the potion instead of ogling at Stark the whole time, I wouldn't have had to!"

"Whoa!" Amanda made a 'stop' motion with her hands. "What's this about ogling?"

"Delaney has, for some ungodly reason, decided to fall madly in lust with Stark."

"…Stark is who, exactly?"

"You know, the really tall Gryffindor?"

"Hunh. Can't really blame her. He's pretty good looking."

"That's not the point!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"No, it's not!" Delaney snapped. "The point is that you decided to experiment on my potion!"

"Successfully!"

"Is there a problem here?" Wesson demanded, stopping the argument cold. The look the head girl leveled at them managed to convey that if there were, she planned to stop it by sheer force of will. Or detentions all around.

"Not at all," Razi said, finally joining the conversation.

"Keep it down, then," Wesson ordered, stepping away. Alyssa, Delaney, and Amanda tried to convey with the most innocent looks they could muster that they would of course keep it down, and they were wounded that she would think otherwise.

"Kinda makes you appreciate your brother, Blythe," Pratchett remarked from where he had been sitting unnoticed.

"I'll be sure to let him know you think so, Pratchett."

"Where is he, anyway? Usually he's hovering during lunch, but I can't see him anywhere."

"Probably some special assignment or something," Alyssa said carelessly.

"'Special assignment'," a girl's voice mocked. "Yes, that's it."

Alyssa gritted her teeth and stared fixedly at her plate. There was no point in reacting to that, even if she knew what Dolohov was babbling about.

Amanda did not share the same philosophy. "What do you mean by that?"

Dolohov shrugged, baring her teeth in what she probably considered a friendly smile. "I was just commenting that our dear Head Boy seems to enjoy...both those things."

This Alyssa did react to. With a furrowed brow and much confusion. "Now we really don't know what you mean."

The raised eyebrow and look of smug superiority she received made Alyssa want to punch Dolohov more than she normally did. More than she wanted to punch Dolohov's brother, even.

"You might want to rein him in, Blythe," Avery added somewhat more quietly. "If it becomes generally known that he won't carry on your family line, your future could become... Difficult." He smiled, a sideways twist of his mouth that conveyed very little good humor.

"Are you implying that my brother is impotent?" Alyssa asked, glancing at Amanda, whose face had turned a peculiar shade of purple.

"I'm saying outright that your future could be imperiled if it's generally known that your brother chases shirts instead of skirts. No need to worry - I'm sure I could be prevailed upon to take you."

There was a moment where no one moved at all - even Dolohov looked a little shocked.

Then Alyssa punched Avery right in his smug face.

* * *

Her hand hurt, Alyssa thought later as she stood outside the headmaster's office. Probably not as much as Avery's face, though, which was some satisfaction.

"Come in," Dumbledore called.

She entered nervously. She had never actually been in this office before; usually whatever pranks Razi or Amanda talked her into were dealt with by Professor Flitwick or, once, Professor McGonnagall.

Alyssa walked quietly in front of the desk and looked at her feet, hands behind her back.

Dumbledore eyed her for a moment. "May I inquire, Miss Blythe, why a student with such a seemingly benign disposition would, and I quote the good Professor McGonnagall here, 'knock the boy flat on his rump?' I am referring, of course, to Mr. Avery."

Alyssa continued to study her feet, mind racing. 'Gee, Professor, I punched him because he more than implied that my brother isn't interested in the opposite sex, which would actually explain a few things, and then tossed out that he'd 'take me' because no other options for my future would present themselves' did not seem exactly the thing to say. For one thing, it would take a lot of explaining, and for another, Jonathan would get dragged into it.

"I didn't like the shape of his nose," she said finally.

"I beg your pardon?"

"His nose," she repeated, looking up and meeting the headmaster's eyes. "It's all crooked, and it bothered me."

His eyebrows went up.

"Not that your nose isn't perfectly lovely," she continued hurriedly, "but his doesn't fit his face in the slightest."

He continued to look at her.

So Alyssa continued to talk. "And Razi and Amanda were just helping me. I don't know what Potter and Black were doing - I suppose they just like to fight Slytherins. Or maybe they were helping some damsels in distress. Not that we were in distress, you understand. I think we were actually doing pretty well. But then Jonathan and Wesson and Delaney had to break us up, as they should, being responsible authority figures and all."

Professor Dumbledore did the last thing she ever expected him to do in the situation. He smiled.

"I don't suppose you'd care to give me the real reason?"

"Avery's nose was the real reason," she said.

She had to endure another moment of scrutiny before Dumbledore blinked. "I see. In that case, detention for a week. Please try not to break anyone else's nose in the meantime?"

"I broke his nose?" Alyssa asked excitedly, and then, realizing that she might sound a little too pleased to have caused a fellow student bodily harm; "I mean, I hope it's nothing Madame Pomfrey can't fix."

"Broken noses are, I assure you, well within Madame Pomfrey's considerable skills. Both the giving and healing of them. You are dismissed."

Alyssa nodded and turned quickly, rushing for the door.

"Miss Blythe?"

She winced, pausing with her hand on the door's knob. "Sir?"

"In the future, when someone's crooked nose offends you, I would suggest you remember that it is rarely a good idea to punch someone in the face when body parts that will do less damage to your own fist are available."

Alyssa blinked and looked back at the headmaster.

"And that sometimes it is better for everyone involved if you give less credence to the… crooked nose."

"I'll remember that, sir," she said after a moment. And, "Thank you."

"For what, Miss Blythe? If you could send your friend Miss Levine in when you leave, please?"

* * *

_A/N:_ So for those of you who have stuck with us, thank you and sorry about the wait.


	6. Chapter 6

We live! P_M here, and we're picking up right where we left off in more ways. Please keep all hands and feet inside the cart, and sit tight because we're going places (even if the ride slows up a bit at times). Thanks for your patience and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter.

* * *

"I must say, Miss Levine," Professor Dumbledore said, staring at Razi with those eyes that made her feel as though he knew all of her secrets, "this is not your usual brand of rule breaking. A fist fight?"

Razi nodded her head. "Yes sir."

"Forgive me for bringing up deeds for which you have already made reparations," the headmaster continued nonchalantly, "but it is rather unusual, given your record, that you would be involved in a fist fight. Against members of your own house, no less."

"It was unusual, sir, I admit to that freely," Razi said in agreement.

"And to little else," he observed. "I have a school to run, Miss Levine, so let's speak plainly. What motivated this unusual course of action?"

Razi told him the truth.

"I was standing rather close to Alyssa when the altercation began, sir. It was fight or be injured myself. It seems that Dolohov assumed that I would join the fray and responded prematurely."

She gestured to her face. Then after a beat shook her head before pulling out her wand and muttering "finite enchantatem", which revealed a fading handprint , barely visible on Razi's dark skin.

"You've ignored a third option," Professor Dumbledore said, reaching into his desk and pulling out an open tin of yellow candies, which he slid towards her, "and several others as well. Perhaps four days detention with Professor Slughorn will give you time to consider them. Please also write for me an essay listing several of those options, particularly those which would have deprived us of this rather unfortunate chat."

Razi moved to take one but paused and seemed to change her mind, pulling back her hand and letting it rest in her lap again. "I'm not very fond of sweets, sir."

"I've found that these sweets in particular are rather pleasant after small harms. Please, have one," he offered, taking one himself.

Razi watched him for a long moment before taking one and popping it into her mouth. Instantly the stinging on her face went away.

"Thank you sir," she said easily even as she resolved to find a way to repay him for his kindness.

Razi had never felt entirely comfortable around the man and part of her very much disliked the idea of owing him anything, no matter how small.

Dumbledore watched her for an instant before adding, "On second thought, for that essay I would like for you to write about a civil conversation with one of your housemates. Perhaps if you knew them better you'd be slower to reach for violence in your dealings with them."

He nodded, and Razi, recognizing the dismissal, stood and left.

Alyssa and Delaney were waiting in the corridor when she left the headmaster's office.

"Detention for a week with McGonagall," Alyssa said before she asked. "Jonathan is not going to be pleased. You?"

"Detention for four days with Slughorn, a practical lesson on parseltongue, and an essay," Razi replied as they walked towards their next classes - transfiguration for Razi and history of magic for the others. They took their time; there were still a few minutes left of lunch.

"Parseltongue, as in the ability to speak to serpents? You have to talk to another Slytherin as part of a punishment?" Delaney asked.

"That's what the essay is about. A conversation with one of my house mates, so I'll feel less inclined to do them harm," Razi clarified. "So who should it be? I mean for all that I live with them, most of my conversations with Slytherins have ended in the words 'prove it'."

"You could ask Avery and Dolohov why they don't see mediwizards for whatever digestive problem has them spouting-"

Delaney's outraged "Alyssa!" interrupted whatever she'd been saying.

"Delaney, I've been informed of my first name, but thank you for reminding me," she replied.

Razi smiled quietly but then went through a mental list of Slytherins who'd insulted her recently, crossing them off of potential people to converse with. To the list of non-options she added anyone who'd sneered at her or shifted away when she'd sat next to them in class, and people she planned to prank in the next week. Then she realized something and she stopped.

"This is going to be impossible. I was just in a fight against Avery," Razi said to her friends.

"We were there. We know," Alyssa replied.

"No you don't. Avery is friends with Malfoy: current darling of the Slytherin house, a prefect, and a member of Slughorn's little club. Slytherins are self-serving and with Malfoy on Avery's side, speaking to me civilly serves no one," Razi explained. "I have to go. See you at dinner."

As she hurried to get to McGonagall's class on time Razi ruled out talking to anyone in Slytherin who either had or was successfully seeking social power from the old names at the core of her house. Who did that leave? It was time to look more deeply at her house than she had in a long while, beyond the upper years and those who slept beside her.

Razi took a seat in the back during Transfiguration. She strove for a state of utter irreproachability as she listened to the lecture and practiced turning a bit of parchment into a book and then, for more of a challenge, into flower; a black rose like the kind she'd favored in recent years. Professor McGonagall, secretly appreciative of a Slytherin who'd fight beside her friend on principal rather than stand back and avoid punishment, gave Slytherin two points because Razi had made not just a flower, but one that didn't grow naturally.

She stopped her after class.

"Miss Levine," McGonagall said, coming to stand beside Razi's seat as Razi gathered her things, "You are to meet with Professor Slughorn promptly after dinner to begin serving your detention."

"Yes, Ma'am," Razi replied, and after a beat asked, "Would that last spell have to be altered in any way if the parchment were folded into a shape first?"

Professor McGonagall considered that before replying. "I shouldn't think so. The spell would need more control, or you'd perhaps want to add some details to your flower, because it might be quite a bit easier, depending on the shape."

"Thank you professor." Razi picked up her bag and made way over to Defense Against The Dark Arts, where she would see her friends again. She was moving along at a reasonable enough pace when a certain odd Gryffindor blocked her path.

"Do you tutor?" she asked abruptly.

"I've told you-"

"Yeah, yeah, my kind has a thing, your kind has a thing, and those things don't go together. Do you tutor?" the girl asked impatiently.

"What subject and why should I help you?" Razi asked. It'd been a long day and she got the sense that anything but patience and co-operation would have her late for class.

"Not me, this time. So if you know the subject well and there's something in it for you, you'll do it?"

"I'd consider it, much in the same way I'm considering what mysterious happenstance befell the last person to make me late for class," Razi hinted. Something in her was beginning to like the younger girl. Something rather more conscious in her was wondering at the 'this time' part of her statement.

"Great! I'll talk to her!" the girl said before running off. As Razi began moving again she was quite certain that she could hear the girl nattering to someone else. She allowed herself a small piece of a smile at that before fixing her features as she entered the classroom.

Delaney had saved Razi a place both next to her and near the Slytherins.

There was tension in the room that precluded conversation. It takes a special effort to speak kindly with friends in the presence of smug enemies, and none of our intrepid young heroines felt like working hard on things that couldn't be graded at that moment, so as Razi settled in her seat her three friends handled the situation like Ravenclaws. They pulled out their books and reviewed the chapter for the day in silence. Razi pulled out her book as well, but she was handling it in a more Slytherin manner. The book gave her something to look at as she pondered ways to turn the decidedly un-Slytherin act of jumping into a fight that had lost more for her than it gained into something other than a sign that perhaps she could use more conversations with snakes. While she thought, she made a point of sitting up straight and bringing the book up to where she could read it without hunching over. So soon after having fought with some of them, the last thing that she could afford was the appearance, however slight, of shame.

It was their first defense class of the year so, as in every year before, the professor asked them about their prior experiences with defense.

Some of the answers were entirely serious if a touch mean-spirited.

"The auror department is kind enough to send us people with practical knowledge of defense. We've been taught by two interns, a full Auror on sabbatical to deal with the loss of a partner, and another who was writing the text book you've selected for us, Professor," a Slytherin in the front of the classroom listed off.

Amanda added, "We learned a lot of theory last year. It was fascinating."

"That's…" The professor, a middle aged woman who seemed to be in good health, appeared flustered for a moment. Something lethal flashed in her eyes briefly before she continued, "Theoretical knowledge will serve you well on your OWLs, but perhaps we'll make a point of focusing on the practical. Defense, particularly in such times as these, is of vital importance and demands attention and diligent practice."

Razi watched as the professor continued, admirably soldiering forth and asking more questions, testing their knowledge. Razi was listening carefully, but she couldn't help noticing the ring on the woman's left hand. It slid a little as she gestured, and Razi noted that the skin under the ring was the same as the rest of the woman's hand. She was a newlywed. Razi wondered who was now going to receive a howler for benching her.

After class, Razi and the Ravenclaws walked towards the great hall. Razi stopped at the doors, for a moment uncertain which table she was walking to.

"Are you all right, Razi?" Amanda asked after a moment. She, Alyssa, and Delaney had stopped when Razi did.

"I should probably sit with my own house today," Razi replied reluctantly. "Do some close up assessing of options, while visually affirming my right to claim a place with them."

"You don't think you should let them cool off a bit?" Delaney asked.

"What I should have done was gone to the professor and set up tutoring sessions rather than put my lot in with Ravens who fight with prominent Slytherins for no reason apparent to the general populace. 'Should' and I parted ways a while back," Razi replied before turning and walking towards the Slytherin table.

She sat down near the middle of the table, her back to the Ravenclaws, and ate slowly as she looked around and tried to get a feel for how the politics of her house were playing out. She listened as various accounts of the afternoon's fight went around. She listened as people reacted.

"What is she doing at our table? Clearly she's decided that she's one of them, the mudblood."

"Quiet! She's right over there and she's friends with the head boy's sister, and you know what they say about her. She's like a bloody poltergeist, she is!"

When Razi finished her meal she pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill. She'd made it sound as though she regretted being friends with them, as though she blamed them for her current position and that wasn't the case. She'd joined the fight, she'd let the less political, kinder ways of her friends make her soft. That wasn't their fault.

In the note she said simply, "I'm glad that I did what I shouldn't."

And then she used a few spells to send it over, and after giving them a moment to read it, to transfigure the parchment into a set of four roses, three Ravenclaw blue ones and a single black one.

She waited until a group of Slytherins got up to leave the hall and then slipped out behind them. Soon after, she heard someone call her name, and stopped.

"Levine, wait up!"

It was the young Gryffindor again, but this time with a short, black haired Slytherin in tow.

"Razi Levine, this is Elaine Walker. She needs a tutor."

Razi raised an eyebrow at the young Gryffindor, "You can tell me her name, but not yours?"

"Pepper Green, and save the 'that's really your name' bit because this is important," Pepper replied.

"Very well, what's the subject?"

Pepper nudged Elaine and the girl glared in response before answering with, "I need some help working out … well the thing is…I just don't understand how to-"

"The subject is Slytherin." Pepper interrupted. "She needs some tips on being a muggleborn in Slytherin. Also, the Wizarding world. You get along well enough to hang out with purebloods and not look wicked confused. Will you tutor her?"

"I can speak for myself," Elaine snapped, "look, I met with McGonagall before school and she recommended books, and I know some stuff. I read my school books. I just get the feeling there's more to this world than they'll tell me up front."

"You should know that being seen with me won't help your cause," Razi pointed out. "I've got a reputation that-"

"Pepper's mentioned your reputation. It recommends you," Elaine returned, her posture and the look in her eyes defiant. "Will you help me?"

Razi thought for a moment. She needed to write about a conversation with a Slytherin, and would she really have another shot? Would the next opportunity be anywhere close to this intriguing?

"I'll consider it," Razi replied. "Shall we meet up on Sunday? Perhaps at the main entrance after breakfast?"

"Can I come?" Pepper asked, bouncing.

Razi looked to Elaine to answer, and she was just a bit surprised when she told Pepper no.

"If I'm going to learn the secrets of Slytherin, it probably wouldn't do to have a Gryffindor along," she explained. Elaine turned to ask Razi another question but found that she was gone, disappeared into the darkening hall without even so much as the sound of her footsteps to say where she'd gone.

* * *

Arlington: Well, this means I'm up. I apologize in advance for what may or may not be a long wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Arlington again and finally.

* * *

Saturday dawned bright and early, something Alyssa had little experience with save for quidditch matches.

Quidditch hadn't started yet. Alyssa frowned as the sunlight hit her closed eyelids and wondered why she'd left her bed curtains open, given that, a) the windows in the Ravenclaw dormitories were large, b) she faced an eastern window, and c) she never left her curtains open. Given these factors, she could only come to one conclusion: someone was trying to wake her up.

Alyssa promptly yanked her bedcovers over her head.

"Alyssa," Delaney said, exasperation evident. Alyssa could picture her standing somewhere out of the sunlight's path, hands on her hips and making sure her poor, abused, exhausted friend was fully exposed to the menace.

"Mmph," Alyssa grumbled.

"You'll miss breakfast."

Alyssa pondered this for a moment. Breakfast was good. Sleeping was better. She turned over to bury her face in her pillows.

"Alyssa Amery Blythe. Get up this instant or I will fetch your brother."

"Mrrglesfmuff."

"Would so."

Mumble.

"He can too get up the stairs. The Heads can. I think. And even if he can't, he'll lay in wait. You know he will."

Alyssa finally sat up, turning the full force of her bleary glare on her friend. The dormitory room, which was normally fairly neat, was today a mess of blue comforters and pale yellow sheets intertwined with various different articles of clothing and hair implements. "Shouldn't you be hounding everyone about cleaning up?"

Delaney shrugged, throwing one of Alyssa's many knee-length dresses in her face. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Get dressed – who knows what kind of trouble Razi will get into while she waits for us."

"We can't go later?" Alyssa whined as she tapped an unwrinkling charm over the dress and cast an envious look at Delaney's jeans and shirt outfit. She owned exactly one pair of very loose pants (her quidditch uniform, in fact) thanks to her parents' insanely conservative standards (phrase courtesy of Razi, who always let her borrow her jeans when Alyssa visited for the day over the summer). Knee length skirts were her mother's concession to Alyssa's youth; Irene Blythe wore ankle length or longer. ("I'm so glad you're showing that Miss Levine what good society is like," her mother said often of her friendship with Razi. "Lord only knows what kind of examples she has with the muggles. But really dear, couldn't you spend some time with Druella Black's girls?")

"No. Hey, think Madame Pomfrey will have left Avery's nose purple, at least?"

"Aren't you supposed to be disapproving?"Alyssa asked, suddenly wondering why her parents hadn't so much as sent an admonishing letter. Howlers were not done in her family, but her mother could write the most guilt inducing confidence killing 'You will never get a husband/ be accepted into polite society now, and that will disappoint me greatly' letter that there ever was.

"I will be when Razi's around. I can't encourage her at all, or things will start blowing up and her alibis will all check out even though I saw her in the hallway just before. I really don't like Avery." Delaney bit her lip, pausing in rifling through Alyssa's clothes for knee socks that weren't completely heinous. "Do you know if he's right?"

The dress muffled Alyssa's reply, but if Delaney could understand her through pillows and a comforter then she could understand her through one layer of fabric. "Right about…?"

"Jonathan."

The silence on Alyssa's end was very, very loud. Delaney changed the subject.

"At least your mother has good taste in shoes."

Alyssa snickered after another long second. "And everyone knows it. I can get away without a hat today, right?"

"You might freckle," Delaney replied very seriously.

"I'll risk it."

It took them about ten minutes to get to breakfast, and Alyssa was positive that she saw Avery three times.

"You are being paranoid."

"That's what you always say when I complain about Avery."

"Eat your food before you give Razi more ideas."

Alyssa did not finish her food before Razi arrived, but only because she filled her plate with seconds.

Hogsmeade, Alyssa decided later that day, was not overrated as a school trip, but it was hardly as much a treat for her as it was for, say, Razi, who had hounded everyone about finishing breakfast and starting off.

"You could come visit me one summer," Alyssa offered outside the Three Broomsticks. Delaney snickered when Razi's nearly gleeful expression turned to incredulity.

"My mother wouldn't mind," Alyssa said hastily. "You know she wouldn't!"

"But she would go on about polite society and Knowing the Right People and make uncomfortable comments about muggles," Razi pointed out, more gently than she would have to almost anyone else.

"She doesn't mean anything by it," Alyssa muttered uncomfortably, because she knew that really was exactly what would happen. And her father would say something about making sure Hogwarts didn't slide further in Quality next year, and then her mother would remember that Razi could technically be considered part of that slide and try to change the subject by asking Jonathan about girls. ("Mother, he's too busy keeping Potter and Black in line to date anyone," Alyssa would say, and her father would say something along the lines of "That's my boy. Place couldn't run without discipline, could it? In my day…")

"But you could practice magic," Alyssa rallied. "And Jonathan's really much more fun over the summer."

"Or you could both come home with me," Amanda pointed out. "My mum loves to watch magic at work, and Dad thinks I should practice more anyway. I don't have a summer-fun brother, though."

"Won't Jonathan move out this summer?"

Alyssa stopped and blinked. "I…"

"He will be graduated. He probably has loads of offers, given he's Head Boy and all, right Lyss?" Delaney didn't notice her friend's confusion.

"He hasn't said," Alyssa said finally, once they all stopped and looked at her.

Amanda stared at her. "Don't you two talk about everything?"

"Yes," Alyssa snapped. "We do. Maybe he hasn't decided what he'd like to do yet and hasn't sent queries."

"'Queer'ies," someone snickered behind her, and Alyssa spun.

"Shut _up_, Dolohov!"

"Do you really want a matching nose with your friend over there?" Amanda asked. Looking past Dolohov's shoulder, Alyssa could see the girl's brother standing with Avery, whose nose was still a fading yellow-green. The sight made her bite her lip to hide a grin.

"Do you really want another week or two of detention?" Dolohov countered.

"Maybe I don't care," Alyssa retorted.

"Break it up," Delaney ordered. "Alyssa, don't give her the satisfaction, you know it's what she wants."

Dolohov tripped, apparently on thin air. Without having moved.

"You little _mudblood_," she hissed at Razi, who had also apparently not moved at all.

"Razi clearly hasn't moved," Delaney said. "And I have to give you detention for using that horrid word."

Dolohov gathered herself and stood, utilizing her much greater height to stare down at Delaney with angry green eyes. "You just wait, you little blood-traitor bitch-"

"Another detention for insulting a prefect and using more foul language." Delaney met Dolohov's eyes with her own grayish green and raised her eyebrows. "You should go back to your friends. They, at least, will enjoy your company."

Dolohov managed to hold her gaze for another few seconds before casting a furious look around the group and stomping back to Avery and her brother.

"Delaney," Amanda said slowly once they departed, "You are my new hero."

Razi nodded somberly, but Alyssa was still glaring after the other Slytherins. "Is punching people addictive?" she asked. "Because I want to do it again."

"Don't," Delaney said. "I hate giving my friends detentions."

The rest of the trip passed peacefully, even Alyssa's one run-in with Avery when the girls split up on separate errands. He saw her, stopped, looked at his feet, and scrubbed his hand through his hair before she turned right back around and stalked into the nearest shop (which happened to be Zonko's Jokeshop. She contemplated buying a Perpetual Punning Pen, but could think of no way to replace Avery's quill without someone noticing, and anyway making all of his papers have really bad puns lost its appeal when she remembered that Professor Flitwick enjoyed them).

A commotion at the dinner table wrested her from thoughts of vengeance, and she looked up to see Pratchett, lips tight, rolling up a letter that had to have been delivered specially, since the owls would normally be out hunting at the moment.

"My aunt," he said.

Thoughts of Avery vanished. "How long?" she asked.

"They just got back from checking the place out. The Mark had been floating for a while, they said."

Everyone looked at their plates but Delaney, who leaned over and covered the white-knuckled hand holding the note with her own.

"I'm sorry," Alyssa said to her food.

"Hey, Pratchett," Jonathan said quietly after a long moment. Alyssa hadn't seen him approach thanks to food-staring, but usually she just sort of knew when her brother was around. Not today, apparently. "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

She looked up in time to see her brother sling an arm around Pratchett's shoulders, and smiled thankfully at him. Jonathan always knew what to do. He nodded to her and flicked a hand at the rest of the table, telling them to go back to their dinner, before leading Pratchett slowly out of the Great Hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Razi stared down at the table for a moment, policing her expression before looking over at the Slytherins. Beside her at the Ravenclaw table, her friends were working to find words that would let them move forward with their evening. Razi settled into the appearance of listening to them while making small glances around the room, hopefully seeming a bit bored as she made her observations. It was too soon. They'd managed to go weeks without this in the year before. There had been easy stretches of time free of the specter of death that those hand-delivered letters represented and images of the skull with its serpent tongue in the papers. There had been time to forget the reports of disappearances and death in the papers at home; the unmoving pictures of grief and false hope.

They were growing more active, these murderers and their master.

The faces of the pureblood Slytherins were telling in their near-neutrality, in the barely concealed contempt or satisfaction in the movement of their hands as they gestured, in the corners of their eyes and their lips. Razi felt an odd chill and she had the sudden urge to write home to her mother, but both went ignored. Her mother was one muggle in a world full of them. Razi herself…she took precautions. She understood this world, even if she fit into it only slightly better than she had in the one where she'd been raised. She had her ways of keeping herself and her friends safe.

Razi's eyes strayed towards the head table and, unexpectedly, met with Headmaster's. He glanced towards the Slytherins before meeting her eyes again. Razi, silently defiant, did not immediately look to see to whom he'd directed her attention. Instead she watched the odd Gryffindor first year, Pepper Green, stand and prepare to move. When Razi followed her line of sight she saw that Green was heading over to Elaine Walker, the first year Slytherin who'd become Green's friend by some odd happenstance.

"Delaney," Razi said, looking to her friend, interrupting her conversation with Amanda and Alyssa. "Quickly, would you mind intercepting that first year? The mad young Gryffindor girl? Tell her, 'not now.' It's important, and I swear it's not a trick."

Delaney hesitated for a moment but stood and did as Razi urged.

"What's going on?" Amanda asked.

"She was about to do something unwise," Razi replied.

"Which is so unusual for a school full of teenagers," Alyssa noted, not unkindly. "It's less typical for you to interfere. And your food's been going cold while you sat there not-listening to us plot out next week's O.W.L review."

Razi took a bite of her food, and then another as she realized how hungry she was and how little prepared she felt to answer her friend's questions.

Across the room, Delaney, having successfully intercepted Miss Green, was walking back to the Ravenclaw table when she was stopped.

"Hey, um…Stowe! I… um…"

It was Douglass Stark. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table near several friends of his one of whom might have kicked him under the table, because he winced and stifled as grunt of pain before continuing.

"I'm Stark. Douglass Stark," he said.

"I know, we're in the same year," Delaney replied with a small smile. "We had potions together the other day."

Stark's face went a bit red before he spoke again. "We did. Yeah! Do you like potions? I'm kind of rubbish at them. Maybe we could study together? I mean I bet you study with Blythe and your other-"

"I do," Delaney answered, then flushed a bit herself before correcting herself, " I do study with them, but I think they can do without me for a bit. Maybe we could meet tomorrow for lunch and talk? About potions of course."

Stark grinned, and neither he nor Stowe took notice of the happy exasperated expressions of his friends.

"Great! I mean... good. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while," He told her, then, nervously moved to qualify it, "About-"

She laughed softly, interrupting him. Raising a hand in farewell she replied, "I know. Me too."

She walked back and sat down in front of her plate, smiling the whole time. Turning to Razi she raised an eyebrow and waited.

Razi looked back, the hand holding her fork remaining steady as she, discreetly mouthed _not now_. She kept eating. After a while she made a suggestion about their study plans and ignored the occasional curious look from her friends. She followed them back to Ravenclaw tower, where Alyssa led the group up to their dorm. Razi promptly put up a silencing barrier.

"Delaney, I got you to intercept the mad Gryffindor - Pepper Green - because she was going to comfort Elaine Walker, a Slytherin first year. Walker is a muggleborn and Green was about to call attention to that while the more…traditional members of my house were still being smug over Pratchett's aunt," Razi explained.

"She's here though," Amanda pointed out. "She's safe. So what if they know she's a muggleborn?"

"There's no way to hide it," Alyssa threw in. "She's new. They already know she's not one of us. Pureblood families tend to run in the same circles."

"It's the timing. Pepper going to her then would have made a public statement, several statements, before the other girl knew enough to choose to make them. As is, she could fade into obscurity. If she'd hugged that Gryffindor at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall after a death notice, her course would have been set," Razi told them. She held back a comment about her uncertainty that being at the school necessarily made anyone safe.

"That doesn't explain why -" Amanda started, but Razi reached for her bag and moved to leave.

"I've done what I needed to do to live as I choose," Razi replied. "Is it so extreme to offer her the same opportunity? Particularly when it helps me write that contemptible essay?"

Alyssa stood as Razi did and walked with her down the stairs and out into the corridor. The pair walked for a while in silence. They passed by portraits drowsing lazily in their frames and students straggling towards their dorms. They passed suites of armor and exchanged nods of greeting with the grey lady as she floated by on the stairs.

Not far from the dungeons, they paused. Alyssa turned to Razi. "We _are_ safe here, Razi. They'll catch them, the ministry will, and we'll all be fine."

Razi felt something strange, a sudden fleeting rush of anger that she didn't entirely understand. Not trusting her voice, she nodded in reply and slipped into the shadows of the lower part of the castle. Alyssa watched, imagining that some bond of friendship would let her find her friend through the dark of the hall. It was a fiction that she maintained as she turned and walked back to the tower.

The next day dawned more brightly. Razi marveled over breakfast at the good a night's sleep could do. The tensions of the night before were lessened and she and her friends spoke easily, moreso as the meal helped them to shake off the last of the sleep lingering in their eyes. The Ravenclaws and Razi had finalized their O.W.L review plans for the coming week when Razi saw Elaine leave the hall and moved to follow.

"I'll see you in the library before lunch, I suppose," Razi told Alyssa and Delaney as they all stood to leave the hall.

"Try the common room instead," Delaney suggested. "We might be doing flash cards or trivia."

Razi nodded and, gathering her book and her bag, made her way out of the hall and off towards the main entrance. As she walked, she thought back to the evening before. What would Elaine want to know after that? What would she need to know to get by in their house?

Elaine was waiting by the main entrance when Razi approached. Razi considered what she knew about the odd young Slytherin. She was a muggleboorn student. She'd acquitted herself rather unremarkably in class thus far, performing averagely in most subjects. There were those who'd noticed her odd friendship with Green, who seemed to have made an impression on quite a few people herself. Aside from Green, she didn't appear to have made many attachments, though she was friendly enough with others in her dorm.

"Walker," Razi greeted.

"Levine," Elaine replied.

"I thought we'd talk in an empty classroom, if that suits you," Razi said.

When Elaine nodded, she led her off towards the classrooms on the ground floor.

When they found one, Razi's wand seemed to appear in her hand, though Elaine could not say where it came from. She warded the room with spells similar to the ones that guarded her sleep and turned to Elaine.

"What is it, exactly, that you think I have to offer you?" Razi asked. Her tone carried a calm awareness of authority, but not the thing itself. It implied that they were equals, but only because Razi allowed it for the moment.

"You're a muggleborn witch in Slytherin house," Elaine replied. "Pepper says you're a better Slytherin than a lot of them. You seem to do what you want. You fit into this world enough to be friends with the headboy's sister - a pureblood."

"My thanks to Green but, aside from her kind judgment, you've yet to tell me anything new," Razi pointed out as she moved to sit down at a desk.

"I think that you know things about our house and our world that I haven't had time to learn. I also think that I need someone in my house, one who doesn't have some social agenda, to have my back while I catch up to the rest of them."

Elaine walked over and pressed her palms to the surface of Razi's desk, looking her in the eyes.

"Maybe I'm not the only one who could use an ally, or even a friend in Slytherin. I heard what you said to those Ravenclaw girls at dinner the other day."

Razi looked back at her, not a little impressed by the spine that the younger girl was showing. She held Elaine's gaze until she looked away, and as she did she realized that Elaine would learn. She would find her way to every lesson that Razi herself had found, maybe faster or maybe slower, but in time she would learn. She seemed bold enough and the things that she saw in Razi that she wanted for herself were good.

"Alright," Razi told Elaine, who'd started to back away towards the door. "Do you have questions, or should I have planned for some sort of lesson?"

Elaine sat down in another desk. Shaking her head and slightly narrowing her blue eyes, she answered, "The deaths, in the papers. Some the older students have been reacting strangely to them."

Elaine reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of The Prophet. Turning to a page near the middle, she handed it to Razi.

Razi at looked the article, discussing the mark and the murder of Pratchett's aunt. _We're safe._ Alyssa's words from the night before came to her. She shook it off. What did Elaine need to know? 

"The deaths and the reactions have to do the idea that wizards with a certain lineage are better than those of another," Razi began slowly. "You've noticed the purebloods. You mentioned that I fit in well enough to associate with them. What do you know?"

Elaine looked away, considering her answer, before turning back to face Razi.

"I know some, but not much," she replied. "I'm not… I can't say that I… look, I'm scared, okay? My family is out there and their children might be in here and nowhere feels safe."

"They have no reason to go after your family," Razi said, tentatively reaching out and putting her hand on Elaine's desk. "No reason to go after you."

"Excepting the obvious," Elaine countered. "Please, explain it to me. What's this about? How can I make us safe, my family and me?"

"It's about power," Razi snapped, and with a calming breath continued, "Who has it? What kind? Who wants it? What will they do or give to get it? That is the heart of Slytherin thinking. That is what you need to know."

"Are there spells?" Elaine asked.

"The spells are too advanced for you now. You need those answers. If you pick your battles wisely, you won't need the spells," Razi answered.

"Alright," Elaine sighed. "Slytherin. Those questions and I'll ask more if I need to."

The pair continued for a while until Elaine raised her hands in surrender.

"Alright. You've given me a lot to consider," she told Razi. "Can I owl you if I have more questions? I never know if you'll be at the Slytherin table at meals."

Razi nodded. "Use a school owl, always a different one. You've said that my reputation recommends me, but it does you no favors."

Elaine opened her mouth to argue but Razi continued, "Be intentional in your choices of associates, and in how you relate to them in public. I'd tell Green to be careful about approaching you at the house table during meals. "

"I'll keep that in mind, Levine. Thank you," Elaine replied, standing and leaving the classroom.

Razi stayed, pulling some parchment from her bag and starting on her essay. The sooner she handed it in the better.


	9. Chapter 9

Arlington here! Sorry for the abruptness, but I'm trying NaNo this year. We'll see how that goes.

* * *

A week after her discussion with Razi in the corridor, Alyssa was walking to the dungeons when she heard a scuffle down a little-used hallway.

"It could be some lucky couple working out frustration," Razi said behind her. Alyssa, though she had thought herself alone until then, did not jump – she was used to Razi's abrupt appearances after all this time.

"Do you really think so?" Alyssa asked hopefully.

"No."

Alyssa bit her lip and thought about it. Point A: She would be late to class. Point B: possible injuries could occur. To her and Razi, specifically. Point C: Injuries could be occurring to someone else right now. Point D: Jonathan would charge in, wand ablaze, which was probably why whoever it was had picked a time when Jonathan had class in the greenhouse. Point E: She would be really, really late to class.

The thought of Jonathan's disappointment won out, unfortunately. She pulled her wand from her bag and tried to project confidence as she strode around the corner.

It was a bunch of pureblood Slytherins. Excellent. Precisely what her day needed. Except how she did not need someone's mother talking to her mother about fighting at school.

"Let's all just walk away," Alyssa said as Razi moved up beside her. "There's no need for detentions or bodily harm or-"

"Walker?" Razi asked.

Sure enough, in the center of the group was Elaine Walker, looking significantly more purple than she might otherwise have due to the curse that was constricting her throat. Alyssa absently identified it as nasty and quite terrifying, but fortunately not lethal.

"Finite!" Razi snapped just before Alyssa's temper-fuelled curse hit the boy with the drawn wand.

Bad plan, her mind noted as he fell backwards, unable to move and itching uncontrollably. This plan ends up in that bodily injury we were trying to avoid.

But the Slytherins didn't do anything, even when Razi braved the group to drag Elaine back to Alyssa by the arm.

"You should have stayed out of this, Levine," another boy said. "Or at least not brought Blythe. This is House business." Elaine was coughing loudly.

"I thought it was pureblood business, Mulciber," Razi retorted. "In which case Alyssa is even more qualified than you."

Alyssa couldn't speak at the moment, entirely too flabbergasted at the gall of them, to try something like this on Hogwarts grounds.

"Finite," the spokesperson muttered over the boy Alyssa hexed. "We're gone." But as the group walked out, he stopped by Alyssa. "Keep your pets on tighter leashes, Blythe. Not everybody's friends enough with Avery to care about your feelings on the matter."

Alyssa blinked at him, feeling stupid for possibly the first time in her life, but he turned and left without further explanation.

"Are you alright?" Razi asked the younger girl after they watched the Slytherins slink off.

Elaine nodded, stiff with anger.

"I never thought about it before," Alyssa said after another long moment, "But they really could have been much worse to you over the years, Razi. I mean, we just saw."

"They were plenty bad," her friend replied.

"Oh, obviously, but we just saw what they're capable of. Is it just the timing?"

"Your Ravenclaw brain is making too much of this. Maybe they just never had the opportunity with me."

"Or they were too scared," Elaine offered hoarsely.

"I wonder," Alyssa murmured. Then, "Walker, sit next to me tonight at dinner."

"I was going to sit with Pep-"

"This bears further study," Alyssa continued, apparently not hearing Elaine. "No, Razi, don't frown at me, I have a theory. We'll walk you to class, Walker."

"I really wouldn't-"

"It's part of my observations," Alyssa said stubbornly. "I need it. And we're already going to be late anyway."

Alyssa and Razi entered the Dungeons, apologizing profusely to Professor Slughorn (who gave them only a warning; Alyssa was technically a part of his little club, even if she usually found something that she absolutely couldn't get away from most meeting times, and Slughorn seemed certain he could get Razi there if he worked hard enough), but instead of sitting with Razi, Delaney, Amanda, or even Pratchett, Alyssa dropped her bag next to Avery, who didn't have a tablemate that day.

"Blythe," he said cautiously. "Going to punch me again?"

Alyssa ignored him for a moment, gathering her thoughts as she set up her potions ingredients. A) Mulciber had mentioned Avery in relation to 'her pets' and the messing thereof. B) Avery was always picking on her, small things. He'd even pulled her pigtails once in first year. As an addendum to B) her mother had always held that boys acted that way when they liked you, no matter how ridiculous that sounded. C) Razi had never had to deal with an actual attack like that on Elaine. D) Neither had Delaney or Amanda. Pratchett was as pureblood as herself, he couldn't count towards her hypothesis. And E)... there was no E. Her list got away from her.

"No," she said finally. "I'm not going to punch you again."

Avery eyed her. "Alright then."

"I would like to discuss something with you," she said as she lined her ingredients up. No on the porcupine quills, yes on the batwings, why in the world didn't this book tell her to use newt's eyes when they would clearly yield a more potent- whoops. He was waiting, watching her almost warily.

"Alright," he said again when she looked back over at him.

"Elaine Walker."

"What about her?"

"There was an altercation this morning between her and some fellow Slytherins. I don't know the details-" aside from the part where they made her think they were choking her to death, she thought - "but I had to step in. She's a friend of Razi's, you know."

He sat back a little in his chair.

"I had to help Razi," she continued apologetically. "But I don't want any more trouble – I didn't like my last trip to the Headmaster's office. I am sorry about your nose," she added as an afterthought. "I was just so angry, and I didn't think I could hit that hard." She could practically _feel_ her friends' stares on the back of her neck.

"The nose is right as rain," he said slowly. "And no, I don't think there will be any trouble."

"Really?" she asked, looking at him with her best approximation of Delaney's longing looks after Stark. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that same friend drop her potions text into her cauldron with a splash.

"Really," he said. And, after another moment of watching her sort through her ingredients, "I didn't realize you were so worried."

She blinked up at him. "About?"

"Trouble. You seem to get into it a decent amount."

She bit her lip, doing her best to look a little embarrassed. "Oh, well, how can you avoid it, right? With my friends – I mean. No, I try to stay out of it when I can. Don't touch that!" she said sharply when he leaned over, suddenly interested in her notes.

He jerked back. Whoops.

"Sorry," she said. "I still haven't forgotten that time you erased my homework over the summer."

"You had another month to do it over," he said, though he sounded slightly chagrined. "It could have been that two foot essay on the goblin wars."

She narrowed her eyes. "You read through my homework?"

"It was there," he said, shrugging. "You made the goblin wars seem interesting."

Alyssa _thought_ that was a compliment.

Class passed quickly despite an incident where Amanda, trying to ask Alyssa what the _hell_ she thought she was doing via hand gestures, knocked some scarab beetles into her already over-thick indigestion cure and had to chip out the suddenly rock-hard contents of her cauldron. Delaney's potions text seemed none the worse for wear, even.

Avery left her alone except to ask potions-related questions. "Why are you using newt's eyes?"

"Because they'll work better than the porcupine quills for thinning purposes," she said absently, stirring the eyes in.

He paused for a moment. "Do you mind if I…"

"What? Oh, sure, yes. Don't add too many or it will end up the consistency of water."

"How do you know that?"

"Experimentation."

"Are you always right?"

"Mostly. I did melt that cauldron once in second year. Too many toad toes."

He chuckled.

"What in the name of Merlin and Nimue's combined toenails was that about?" Amanda hissed at her later as they bent over their Arithmancy classwork.

"I was trying to make peace," Alyssa said primly, accidentally writing six when she meant nine. She crossed it out irritably and corrected the error.

"What happened to 'Avery is the spawn of the devil'?" Amanda demanded. "What happened to punching him in the face? What about the sanctity of summer? Never in a million lifetimes? What about _punching him in the face_?"

"You said that already. And I apologized for that."

"You-" Amanda's splutter was loud enough to lose a point for Ravenclaw. Alyssa spent the rest of the period in silence, with her friend eyeing her as if she was about to turn fluorescent green with purple polka dots, which was ridiculous.

That had only ever happened once.

"Alyssa _apologized_ to Avery!" Amanda informed their friends when they reached the dinner table. She was not quiet about it.

Alyssa winced and glanced over her shoulder at the Slytherin table, where several heads had turned in her direction. One of them belonged to Avery. She winced again and turned back to the table. "Can you pass the mashed potatoes, please?"

"She's clearly under the influence of something," Amanda continued, ignoring Alyssa's plea for food. "She sat with him in potions! Willingly!"

"That is odd, Alyssa," Delaney said.

"Yeah, what happened to punching him in the face?"

"You're obsessed with that!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"Because it was _fantastic_," Amanda retorted. "And now you're rolling over and showing your belly. Was this an assignment from Dumbledore? Like Razi? Make nice with the snakes?"

Elaine sat down then with Razi, conveniently right next to Alyssa.

"Say something to make me laugh," Alyssa ordered her quietly.

"Like what?" Elaine asked, looking baffled.

Alyssa giggled. "No, I understand that Transfiguration can be difficult," she said in her normal voice, staring pointedly at Elaine. "I would be glad to help."

"Thank you," Elaine managed, sounding mostly as she usually did. "I… really appreciate it."

"Any friend of Razi's," Alyssa said cheerfully.

"Fine," Amanda said after a moment. "You're clearly up to something. I won't ask any more questions."

Alyssa ignored her, listening hard for anything coming from the Slytherin table. All she heard was an authoritative… something. It was too low to make out what, exactly, was said, but it was followed by an indistinct grumble, and that by a much more distinct yelp.


	10. Chapter 10

When the time came to leave the great hall after dinner, Razi turned to Elaine.

"Shall we study the common room?" she asked, reaching down to pick up her bag from under her seat.

"Which subject?" Elaine asked, "And can we talk to Pepper before we go?"

"Not study in the common room, study the room," Razi corrected softly, pulling out some parchment and a pen that she'd brought from home to write a quick message to Pepper. A whispered spell made the note seem to fade into the faint shadow cast by Razi's hand on the table. "I think I need to take a close look at dynamics in our house. I can make us less noticeable and perhaps you'll see something that I won't."

"Can we make it chess then?" Elaine suggested as they stood. "Oh, my dad sent me two new Christie novels. You could borrow one if you like."

Razi smiled a little, replying, "Chess, eavesdropping, and Agatha Christie all in one night? It's like Christmas."

She turned to Alyssa, who had also stood up to leave. Alyssa seemed vaguely confused.

"Muggle author?" she asked.

"Puts out new books around Christmas time," Elaine replied, nodding. "Dad found two I hadn't read yet."

"A mystery writer," Razi added, "And quite a brilliant one at that. I have some of her books at home. You must have seen them on my shelf?"

"Of course," Alyssa replied because she had, though she'd never thought for more than an instant about actually reading one. It wasn't that she was opposed to it, but Razi's house with its colors and sounds, and her mother constantly pulling them off into one adventure or another, hadn't left her much time for reading more than the third drafts of her assignments.

Razi saw Pepper leave the hall and addressed her friends. "We're studying in the tower after class tomorrow?"

Delaney nodded and Amanda added, "Unless it was yesterday, hard to tell with the world going mad." She looked pointedly in Alyssa's direction.

Razi let the statement fall unacknowledged. She and Elaine left the hall, heading towards the dungeons. Pepper was waiting for them in a small storage room near the entrance that was hidden behind a portrait of Winston the Wan. The portrait opened only if you told him irreparably bad news.

"I never met my grandmother," Razi told Winston. "She died before I born."

"I rather disliked my grandmother," the portrait replied listlessly.

Elaine gave a small laugh as Razi rolled her eyes and tried again. "A two year old in Wales was given lycanthropy last month. The first change killed him after he miraculously survived the bite."

Now the portrait swung open, sighing, "Poor dear, off to his grave and all the world to follow."

As it closed, they could barely hear him say, "Nothing for it."

"Definitely not a poor excuse for a Slytherin," Pepper greeted Razi, "Unlike certain ones who turn down dinner invitations."

"Sorry!" Elaine apologized. "Blythe didn't really give me a choice and she had just helped me."

"Alyssa's human, what could she do?" Razi pointed out. "It was good that you came, but there's always a choice."

"Why-"Elaine began, but Razi cut her off with a shake of her head and Pepper spoke.

"It's fine," she said cheerfully. "How's your charms essay coming? Did you think the best Slytherin ever will tutor us now that you're friends?"

Razi agreed to nothing but the conversation continued, oddly normal if one could forget that the participants were from opposing houses. In a moment of uncharacteristic optimism Razi hoped that the two could hold onto this. Her friends had, apparently, been more of a help to her over the years than she'd imagined. Besides, Pepper was a sharp kid, if a bit off the wall, and sharp was good to have around in a pinch.

A few minutes later, with hugs from Pepper and promises to meet there again soon, Razi and Elaine headed off for the Slytherin common room. When they arrived, Elaine went up to get the book and her chess set while Razi found them a place to listen and begin their chess game. Razi noted the usual occupants as she gazed around the room. Severus Snape stood by the fire with Mulciber, looking put-upon as he usually did when conversing with anyone who was not Lily Evans. Mulciber was a dark haired landmass of some sort with shadows in his piercing blue eyes. Razi might have found that reassuring once: she was fond of shadows as a rule. They hid pranks and facilitated several pet spells of hers. The shadows in Mulciber's eyes helped nothing though, and they hid nothing than anyone would ever want to find.

She settled on a low green chair near the corner farthest from the fire, conveniently near a lamp and small table, and continued to look around.

Avery was holding court not far from Severus and Mulciber, certainly within easy hearing distance. Both of the latter were in the interesting position of having Avery's begrudging respect and no call to bend to his will. They were, in a way, artifacts of the previous regime, having gained status before Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black graduated. Black and Malfoy had had the weightiest names and the oldest money in the room for years. When they'd taken the tainted heir of the Prince line into their circle of acquaintance, heads hand turned, and though whispers naming him the half-blood embarrassment of a once noble house had never died out entirely, Snape had been one of theirs until they'd left. Even now there were some who might see his exclusion from Avery's circle as a judgment of the house's former rulers. As for Mulciber, well, even Razi knew that he could walk up to Avery at any time and claim Avery's place in the house if he wanted it. His was the older family, the more powerful, the more pure. Adding his friendship with Regulus Black and Narcissa's fondness for him made him nigh untouchable. A shared liking for a particular type of entertainment served to keep the peace between the two boys. The darkness in Avery might not have rested in his eyes, but it lived and thrived in deeper places, a homing signal to those who shared his skills and interests.

Avery was talking in a low voice with one of the boys who'd attacked Elaine. The boy looked rather frustrated and, as Razi considered a spell to help her hear them better, obligingly spoke louder.

"This is bloody dim! You think You-know-Who is gonna care whether Blythe-" the boy fell silent and dropped to his knees. Parkinson, who'd been playing chess with Dolohov nearby, stood, wand pointed at him and waiting, glancing back towards Avery.

"Seems to have lost his voice," Avery told Parkinson. "Dreadful luck, should have minded it better. Would you care to help him find it?"

Elaine sat down beside her, silent as she set up the chess board, sitting the novel down near Razi on the table.

"Allow me," Mulciber said, his deep rumbling voice tinged with arrogance and satisfaction. He walked to the door of the common room, tossing, "Bring him," over his shoulder as if in afterthought. Razi turned her eyes to the board as Elaine made her first move and Parkinson followed Mulciber, nearly dragging his dorm mate behind him

_Death Eater? _Elaine mouthed, looking curious.

Razi looked around the room again at the purebloods and their followers and suddenly felt her heartbeat. She imagined that she could feel the steady flow in her veins. It was the strange reductive experience of feeling herself the way that any death eater must see her, the perceived accident of her birth erasing all other features. She felt cold and small.

Razi shrugged in response to her young friend's inquiry. Of course the girl was right in a sense, but to tell her how many of their housemates planned to take that title would only share the smallness that she felt. Elaine had had enough of that earlier, would have more than enough of it later without Razi scaring her then. The two played a good game of chess and identified a few of Avery's newer followers. Neither admitted to waiting to see if Mulciber and the boy would return.

The next day, Razi rose very early and had breakfast at the Slytherin table before hurrying up to be seen in the library. After making certain that Madame Pince would believe her to be doing research in the back stacks before class, Razi cast a disillusionment charm over herself and made her way to down the Slytherin Common Room and into the fifth year girls' dorm. Dolohov had slapped her during that fight. Razi was not the forgiving type.

She used a potion that she'd gotten from Diagon Alley and put in a spray bottle from home to dampen Dolohov's pillows. Then, for good measure, she charmed the pillow case so that the next person to touch it would feel the irrational need for a wash. The potion was water soluble and would spread and affect new areas if wet.

Razi hastened back to the library, checked out several books in time to share looks of mutual disdain with Dolohov, who was entering the library to study during her free period. Razi went back to great hall. It was nearly empty and well lit with the sunlight streaming down from the enchanted ceiling. The houselves set out a snack for her, and she studied comfortably at the Ravenclaw table until her friends, and the rest of school besides, arrived for lunch.

When Dolohov appeared in History of Magic after her usual nap during the lunch hour, frustrated and swatting at her hands and face as though fending off bothersome insects, Razi prided herself on a morning well spent.

James Potter and Sirius Black were leaning against the wall in the Defense corridor when Razi and The Ravenclaws got out of class. This was not unusual. They were fond of pranking Slytherins; so much so that the sight of them often had members of Razi's house casting _finite incantatem_s as a precautionary measure. Why shouldn't they be waiting outside a room containing several of their favorite targets?

What was unusual was the way they strode immediately to Alyssa as she left the Defense classroom and, faces shining with something akin to pride, ushered her off down the hall, leaving Razi, Amanda, and Delaney to gape and wonder.

Razi turned to her friends and moved to speak, but Delaney cut her off, saying, "We'll pick up your dinner and hers. Go! Who knows what they'll do with her."

Amanda nodded agreement, adding, "We'll see you in the tower."

Razi gave them a small smile and a whispered 'thanks' before hurrying off to catch up with Alyssa and the two mischief makers. She found them a few corridors away in an empty classroom.

"Well, Blythe, this is quite the turn of events," James Potter said. Razi leaned closer to the slight opening in the door, but pulled away seeing Lupin walking down the corridor towards the room. The two of them didn't often speak, but their friends crossed paths from time to time and there were certain unspoken rules associated with being the slightly secretive best friend of a pure blood with dramatic tendencies. Remus, as minder of the one most likely to cause mischief, had the right to choose the opening stratagem.

He went for a classic of his, a silent move to stand behind James and Sirius, just close enough to grab their wand arms as needed.

"I never thought I'd see the day that little Alyssa Blythe-"

"We're the same age, Potter," Alyssa interjected.

James continued as if uninterrupted - "would be setting up a long con. Tell us, what's the prank? Would you, by chance, like to collaborate?"

Alyssa did not roll her eyes. Her mother disapproved of the habit. She did close them briefly before opening them again and replying, "No con, no prank. "

"Then why," Sirius asked, "Did you apologize to that nitwit Avery?"

Now Razi moved to stand behind Alyssa, glancing up at Remus. In the silent language of their kind she informed him that she was giving him the chance to check his friend before she did. Razi wanted to know as well, but Alyssa would explain in her own time. Remus replied with a small confused nod and touched Sirius's arm briefly.

Sirius glanced back at him but quickly returned his attention to Alyssa.

"We have common interests," Alyssa replied. "Not that I am obliged to justify my choices to you. Besides, I did, after all punch him."

Sadness, resignation, and anger flashed across Sirius's face in quick succession.

"Common interests?" Sirius pressed. "Don't tell me you're becoming one of them. You're better than that."

"I am what I have always been, Sirius Black, as are you," Alyssa shot back.

"Not all of us are so quick to scorn family," Avery said from the doorway, startling them all. "Alyssa, it's alright, why don't you and Levine let me talk to Black. I'd hate for you to lose study time attempting to educate a blood traitor."

Avery walked into the room, stepping a bit to the left to allow Alyssa and Razi to pass. Alyssa stepped towards it and paused. Turning, she nodded to Razi, acknowledging her for the first time since she'd entered. Her eyes were a maze of half hidden emotions; a minefield of pain, guilt, and, oddly enough, satisfaction. Then they seemed to clear, worry and a sort of surprised gratefulness suffusing her face.

Razi, feeling as though they were standing on some precipice or, more accurately feeling as though as though Alyssa had just jumped off of one while holding her hand, offered a murmured parting to the room and walked to stand beside her friend, who had turned the new face to Avery.

Razi looked back at Remus as the left the room, hoping irrationally that he would understand. Her hands were tied. She could no more stand against her friend than he could stand against his. Razi did not know what secrets Remus shared with his friends, but she hoped that he knew how little power bonds of trust and loyalty could leave a person. Perhaps he did: all of the glares on the room were focused on Alyssa and Avery.

They heard Sirius' reply as they passed through the doorway.

"Oh, I think we'd all do well to scorn some family, seeing the heights of devotion your lot recommends," he spat pulling out his wand. "Tell me, do you call him 'father' or 'cousin' when you're at home?"

"Perhaps we'll begin with a demonstration," Avery replied.

As the hexes, some of them dark, filled the air with power, light, and sound, Alyssa hastened them off towards the Ravenclaw common room. They were late for OWL review with their friends. Jonathan had indicated that he might help them practice for the Charms practical exam as well. The promise of friends and learning, and the hope of finding a pair of cooling tea cups bearing their names, helped to ease them as they walked.


	11. Chapter 11

Time passed quickly, as time did when Alyssa didn't want it to. She spent a little time chatting with Avery here and there, occasionally sitting with him in classes.

No one bothered Elaine again that she saw, and even Slytherins who typically talked down to Razi kept their mouths shut, though they didn't bother to wipe looks of superiority or contempt from their faces.

All in all, Alyssa was fairly proud of herself on the final Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas. Her mood was such that running into Dolohov the elder didn't faze her, though Dolohov's little brother was giving Alyssa a particularly discomfiting stare from behind his sister.

"Blythe," Dolohov (the elder) said stiffly.

"Dolohov," Alyssa replied, glancing around for a reason they would be here.

Silence.

"Was there something you wanted?" Alyssa asked after a moment.

"Our parents," Dolohov (the elder) said.

Alyssa nodded when Dolohov did not continue. "Your parents?" she prodded.

"Our parents would like to remind yours about the holiday get together," the other girl said in a rush.

"All right," Alyssa said. But I'm sure they've received the invitation already."

"We'd like to make sure you knew you were welcome," Dolohov (this time the younger) said smoothly.

"Well," Alyssa replied cautiously when it seemed clear they were waiting for her to, "My name is traditionally on the invitation."

"That's what I told my mother," Dolohov (the elder) grumbled.

"So that's it, then?" Alyssa asked. No curses or heavy objects had been thrown yet, and she thought she might like to keep it that way, given that A) she was outnumbered, and B) Dolohov (the elder) had a particular fondness for hexes that left people out of sorts for days, and her brother was no slouch in the same area. Though to be fair, Dolohov the elder didn't always need a curse for the same effect.

Dolohov (both of them) stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Right," she said after another moment of that. "I'll just go back to what I was doing, then." She took a step forward. They didn't move. "I'm headed to Hogsmeade," she offered, all too aware that she was meeting Razi and her other friends at The Three Broomsticks, which was fantastic and only relevant to current events because it meant they weren't with her now. "I have to exit the castle to do that. The exit," she added helpfully, "is just past you and down that hallway."

"I'll walk you," Avery said from somewhere behind her.

Dolohov shifted her gaze to Avery for a moment before turning on her heel, her brother following as if on a leash.

"Thank you," Alyssa said. He had at least saved her from more awkwardness, if not from an actual fight.

"You are very welcome," he replied. He moved up next to her as she turned, so her arm brushed against his chest.

_Okay_, Alyssa thought. _Okay, that was unexpected._ She blinked up at him (he was almost a head taller. It wasn't sporting) when she realized he had said something else. "Sorry?"

He smiled. "I said hello."

"Shouldn't you have started with that?" Alyssa asked without thinking.

"You didn't like how I started?"

She scrambled. "I don't object to your heroics."

"You just like things in order?"

"Yes. That."

"Let's ignore my faux pas, then, and move straight into a cliché. You can thank me by having lunch with me."

"Oh, I have plans with Razi and Delaney," she began.

"They won't understand a proper appreciation of heroics?"

"So would you mind if I went by and let them know?" she continued, changing what she had been about to say.

"We can stop in on our way."

She winced and looked at the ground. That was a bad plan. Amanda would do something drastic, Pratchett's weekend would be ruined when he left to avoid saying anything he thought might hurt Avery and by extension Alyssa, and Jonathan would ask questions. She thought Razi might have already figured out what she was doing, though.

"What?" Avery asked.

"It's just my friends," she looked up at him through her eyelashes the way she'd seen muggle actors do in the movies at Razi's, tucking a lock of hair that fell forward over her face back behind her ear. "I don't think they like you very much."

He shrugged, and Alyssa frowned. _Note to self_, she thought, _school facial expressions _and_ watch your mouth_.

He made a rueful face. "Your friends aren't people I usually talk to."

_Too busy hexing muggleborn first years?_ Alyssa wondered. "You didn't used to usually talk to me," she said instead, wondering how far she could press this point. "Not conversations, anyway."

"Sure I did," he said easily. "You just always thought I wasn't. I'll stay away while you convince Levine and Beech that you don't want bodyguards." He slung an arm around her shoulder and led her down the hall before she could stiffen.

"…so I'm having lunch with Avery," she concluded. She had considered lying, but she had never been able to fool Jonathan for long. Added to that, Avery was sitting at a table across the room, chatting with people occasionally but clearly waiting for someone, and they had walked in together. Alyssa did not fool herself: most of her friends were Ravenclaws and the other was a Slytherin. They could put two and two together, even the ones who didn't care for Arithmancy.

Also, she doubted Avery could be persuaded to be silent on the matter.

"You're cancelling plans for a boy," Delaney said blankly.

"For _Avery_," Amanda added, clearly scandalized.

"_Once_," Alyssa said. "Just once, I promise."

"Avery," Amanda repeated.

Jonathan looked across the room at the offending party, lips tight.

"Stop it," Alyssa snapped. "He's not horrific."

Five pairs of eyes stared at her, not unlike the Dolohovs had earlier.

"He's not," Alyssa repeated.

Amanda stood up. "I feel it is my duty to inform you, as a friend, that there appears to be something wrong with your cognitive processes and that this insane plan is simply not allowed."

Alyssa saw Jonathan wince, but her good mood was gone. It had been slowly seeping away as she realized that no lunch with her friends meant no after lunch butterbeer, which meant no jokes about Delaney's (probable) lack of firewhiskey tolerance, which in turn meant no promises to take no pictures but blackmail with stories to the end of time the next time someone got tipsy and proposed to Lily Evans (Pratchett). Which meant no implication that there would be a next time.

Also, realizing that you really just wanted to rub up against someone like a cat was very stressful.

So she informed Amanda (loudly and in no uncertain terms) that their friendship did not give her the right to disallow Alyssa _anything, _and furthermore she would go to lunch with whomever she chose, _thank you very much_.

Amanda stood, mouth agape, as Alyssa strode through the now quiet crowd to Avery, who seemed to have stood the moment she started shouting.

"I find myself without prior engagement," she told him.

He smiled (lazily – technically speaking that shouldn't be attractive. It was anyway) and, putting a large, warm hand at the small of her back, led her outside.

Lunch was nice. Avery gave her some slightly embarrassing stories about his childhood that she would have returned in kind except she couldn't think of anything.

"I didn't do a lot before I came to Hogwarts," Alyssa reflected.

"You played Quidditch."

"Not a lot."

"Enough to make the team in third year."

"Not enough to make it this year, though."

"I think Pratchett was practicing some reverse favoritism," Avery said. "And anyway, you were always reading. That's not nothing."

"You know an awful lot about me for someone who hated my existence."

"I didn't hate your existence," he said impatiently. "I may not be a Ravenclaw, but it doesn't take much to know you read and play Quidditch. You always snuck a book into parties."

"Which you stole."

"You wouldn't tell me what you were reading," he said reasonably.

She wanted to point out that A) if he had been nicer she might have told him, and B) that was no reason to steal her book in the first place. She didn't. He was trying to be nice, and making him irritated with her wouldn't help anything. He must have seen something in her expression again – _refer again to note, self_, she thought irritably – because he sighed.

"Maybe that wasn't the best way to go about it."

"In the future you can just ask," she told him. "I promise to tell you."

The crooked grin he gave her made something flop over in her stomach. It wasn't comfortable at all, but it was… interesting.

Part of her, the part that could be named Logic with a capital L, said, _No. You are fourteen and a Ravenclaw. You are too young and too smart to let your hormones decide you're falling in love with whatever Avery is_.

Her fourteen year old hormones told Logic to bugger off.

Alyssa and Amanda ignored each other through the rest of the day. And the next. And the one after that. Alyssa was almost impressed with both of them. Ignoring someone who lived in the same room and shared a bathroom with you took serious willpower.

That same willpower allowed her to refuse to be impressed. "She should know me well enough to know I have my reasons," Alyssa told the silent Razi. "You do."

Razi shrugged.

They were still ignoring each other despite the efforts of their friends when everyone left for the holidays. Jonathan came to talk to her about it between studying for NEWTS and avoiding their mother's attempts at matchmaking.

"It's just that I've never seen you this angry before," he said.

"I can get plenty angry," Alyssa retorted from her closet, trying to find robes that made her look vaguely adult-like for the Dolohov's party.

"Not," he said, "with Amanda."

"Amanda needs to learn that just because we're friends doesn't mean she can tell me what I am or am not allowed to do," Alyssa snapped. "And that I can take care of myself."

Jonathan didn't reply. It took a full minute, but Alyssa finally walked out of the closet to face what was probably a disappointed expression. He just looked sad.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm moving out as soon as I graduate," he said.

Alyssa slumped onto the bed next to him. "I kind of knew that."

"And, obviously, I'm graduating."

She snorted, nudging him with an elbow. "I kind of knew that, too."

He refrained from pointing out that their mother didn't like it when Alyssa snorted, which she appreciated.

"You haven't needed me to take care of you for a while," he said. "I know. But when you did, I liked doing it. And even when you didn't need me to, I liked doing it. Maybe your friends just like trying to take care of you because they're your friends, not because they don't think you can."

She sighed. "You don't like him either."

"I really don't like him," Jonathan agreed. "And I had no idea that you did."

"I don't," she said. "I didn't! But I just…"

"If you're doing this to make them happy," Jonathan said, "please don't. They don't deserve it at the price of yours."

'Them' was their parents, Alyssa knew. She wondered vaguely what it would be like to have your parents on your side, not 'us the siblings' versus 'them the parents'. She wondered what it was like for Jonathan, who couldn't tell them anything and still made sure Alyssa didn't have to.

"I'm not sure I like him." Being honest with Jonathan (about important things, anyway) was too easy, probably from force of habit.

Jonathan blew out a frustrated breath.

"But I really… I really like…" Alyssa struggled for words, which was not something she was accustomed to. "I like that he likes me? And his hands," she hurried on. "I really like his hands."

Jonathan sighed again and hugged her to him with one arm. "There are other people who like you, Alyssa. Also," he added with a touch of humor, "Plenty of people with hands." He let go of her after another squeeze, standing to leave. "Please believe me when I say that trying to change somebody doesn't work – not the way I think you're trying to."

She sat on the bed for a long moment after he left. She wanted to believe that she wouldn't be doing whatever it was she was doing with Avery if she didn't have her goal.

Logic, after a thorough examination of the data available, laughed at her.


	12. Chapter 12

"So, how much do your parents know?" Elaine asked. "You know, about all of this?"

Razi was watching the ground outside the train, occasionally slipping into the conversation, but generally just thinking and making a mental list of things that should be done at home.

In the compartment with her were Elaine, Delaney, Douglass Stark, Amanda, and a pair of third year Hufflepuffs whom Elaine said were friends of hers. Pepper had opted to stay at school for the holiday, eager to see if Potter and his friends would have a special gift for the remaining Slytherins. Seeing the turn the conversation was taking, Razi discreetly raised a silencing barrier around the compartment.

"What was that?" Matthew, the one off the Hufflepuffs, asked, stiffening as he noticed the shimmer of the spell as it expanded.

"Just a precaution," Razi replied before answering Elaine. "I don't hide much from mum, so she knows rather a lot. McGonagall explained a fair bit when she came with my letter." Matthew smiled at her and let down the guard anyone not a pureblood usually kept up around Slytherins.

"My dad knows a bit as well because of my mum, but he doesn't really like wizarding places much," Delaney contributed. "They're a bit disordered for him, though, I think he likes magic more than he lets on."

"Some of it just doesn't seem important to tell them" Robin, the other Hufflepuff, said. "They'll never see a dragon or a mermaid, or know a fairy from a firefly. Mine are both muggles, and so are my brothers. I don't want to taunt them with things they can't have."

Matthew shook his head fondly. "My sister would have boxed my ears if she'd found out I knew mermaids were real and I didn't tell her. Little imp went through my books while I slept."

There was round of light laughter at that.

"What about the rest? " Elaine asked, more carefully now, more subdued. "The death eaters and the disappearances? The Mark?"

Razi watched their faces as one after another, they turned away. Eventually Robin spoke. "I don't think they'd let me back to school if they knew. Might be smarter to go somewhere safe but…"

"But it's our world," Stark said, "and if you leave them to it, it'll only get worse."

"Gryffindor," Robin sighed. "I meant, if I leave that's one less wand in defense of my friends and the school. Besides, how could I never fly again? Never feel the rightness of my wand after not touching it for a while? Never become an animagus or brew luck. I was told I could have this, if I was willing to work hard for it. I want to keep it. Tell them what feels right, Elaine, what you think will make things right for your family. Tell your mum thanks too, for the American football scores. Dad would never let me live it down if I asked him."

"American football?" Matthew asked, scandalized. "That boring game where they hardly ever kick the ball?"

"Oh, 'cuz rugby is so much better," Robin countered, and the tension dissolved in a fit of laughter and outrage. Through all of that Amanda had listened but kept her silence. Razi could see her wanting to join in at points, but then she appeared to go back to being frustrated that no one had stood with her during her attempted intervention turned argument with Alyssa. She had been civil enough with Delaney and Razi, but the last few days had been tense: it was clearly starting to wear on her. She slipped out of the compartment at some point and Razi hoped that the moment alone would let her rest.

Elaine didn't seem entirely reassured when the compartment emptied as people went off to change into muggle clothes, so Razi pulled her aside.

"If you don't want to tell them everything, you might tell them the truth," Razi suggested. "Tell them that our world has its dangers, but you have been careful and that you are becoming a fine young witch with friends who will look after you. Go change before you have to rush."

Elaine gave a small smile and nodded as she went to do that.

Delaney, who had, quite sensibly changed earlier in the day, walked up to Razi. "First Alyssa being civil with Avery, now you going soft, did the fiery pits freeze with the lake this year?"

"I do not know, dear friend," Razi said brightly in response. "Owl Stark and ask him after he opens his trunk tonight."

"Razi, you didn't!" she exclaimed, half scolding and half amused.

"He made you late for the pre-holiday OWL review. Don't worry, it'll wear off."

Delaney sighed and gave a sharp, reminding tug at the sleeve of Razi's robes.

"It better had, or I'll take points this time and ask Wesson to give you detention when we get back, you know she'd love to," she threatened.

Razi removed her robe, set about straightening up the grey dress she'd worn beneath it, and got a jacket from her trunk.

"Where did Amanda go?" Delaney asked, noticing that her trunk was still where she'd put it when the train left Hogsmead Station.

"Not far," Razi replied, seeing Amanda through a window as she walked back towards the compartment.

The train was slowing: soon it would be time to disembark.

"Razi!"

Razi turned at the sound of her name. She'd been waving goodbye to Elaine, who'd glanced back with a faint smile as she walked away with her parents.

Amanda approached her.

"Do you have a minute?" Amanda asked, loud to be heard over the sounds of other students and parents. "Can you do the silencing barrier?"

Razi obliged, the sounds outside fading quickly.

"Is there something I'm missing?" Amanda asked. "Some big reason why it's not crazy that she's taken up with that hateful pureblood git? Why I'm the only one angry? I don't understand."

There were several things that Razi wanted to say. She wanted to point out Jonathan and Delaney, both of whom had been surprised by the turn Alyssa had taken. She wanted to explain about that moment with Potter and his friends, the sense of being pulled from a precipice. She wanted to make Amanda understand the curious lack of direct scorn she'd received recently, and the need to know that was tempered by deeper knowledge, and the fear of being wrong. She wanted to tell her that understanding wasn't as important as… as what? She didn't have the words.

"You know what we know," Razi said, almost helplessly. She saw her mother standing near the barrier and let the silencing ward fall. Razi rushed towards her, leaving Amanda and feeling the moment's frustration fade into nothing. Her mother was close and safe. Razi was home.

"You are harvesting all of the winter vegetables, possibly by yourself, while I sip hot chocolate and watch you from the kitchen windows," Shara Levine announced as they pulled away from King's Cross in the car.

"I've missed you too," Razi replied with a laugh.

"Don't sass me, it took a week to put the flowerbeds to rights before winter. I still smell of mulch and there's an entire side of the house that still needs doing,"

She was right, and Razi knew it. School had, for the past few years, taken Razi from home during planting seasons. While there was a reasonable amount of work for each of them when Razi was at home to help maintain the riot of flora surrounding three quarters of their yard, putting the flowerbeds to sleep and ensuring that they were healthy for the spring involved still more work, and Shara had been left to do it alone.

"It'll be good to get out in the garden," Razi told her. "Maybe once I'm of age I'll be able to pop home and help on the weekends. Did Ms. Willows at least let us use her compost again?"

"Yes, thank goodness. Enough about the gardens though, once all of the greens and carrots are in, I'm taking you ice skating, and to the cinema, and there are some songs you should hear," Shara said, and moved to continue but seemed to notice the growing look of bemusement on Razi's face and added, "Not in the same day of course, unless you think that we could manage it. Wouldn't it be lovely?"

"If by lovely you mean entirely too much, yes, absolutely lovely," Razi retorted. "I have wizarding levels to study for. And don't the kitchen cabinets need painting? I think there's a surface in our home without stenciled greenery on it, and we can't have that, can we?"

"You adore it, I can tell," Shara fired back. "I have seen your heart. I know your soul. Both are black as night with stenciled vines and daisies in bright pink over the lot."

Razi laughed before replying, "Only because I let you watch out for them. What did I expect, leaving a clean surface in your care?"

Then she leaned over and closed her eyes, smiling freely as she rarely did with anyone else and listened to her mother's heartbeat, to her breathing, the warm miracle of her presence after months of just pictures and letters.

"You wound me then you cuddle up as though I'm meant to love you desperately no matter how you snark about my stunning stencils. Honestly it's not as though I miss your face when you're gone or that I miss it all the more because you have somehow resisted photography since your first ultrasound," Shara sighed warmly, put-upon. "Motherhood is thankless."

When they arrived home, Razi and Shara pulled her trunk from the boot of the car and headed into the house. It was small, a single floor with three bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room. Propped against the walls outside in places were old shelves storing gardening supplies or tented over with greenhouse material to protect some of the more delicate plants from the cold.

Razi took her trunk to her room while her mother went to the kitchen to warm dinner. When she opened the door she smiled at the vase of black roses sitting on her bedside table, her favorite. The rest of the room was as she'd left it. Her bookshelves, in rampant disarray and overstuffed, were set against one pale green wall. Her bed, with its deep purple sheets and grey comforter, lay opposite, the nightstand and its flowers beside it, in front of one window. A chair was set in front of the other.

The trunk found its place at the foot of Razi's bed and Razi pulled a book from her shelf and waited to be called for dinner.

The next few days went by in a rush of gardening, cooking, and overwhelming joy. Razi settled into an easy pattern of studying in the morning when her mother was at work and heading out into the less cold afternoons to harvest leafy green vegetables or pay needed attention the to the flowerbeds that hadn't been put down for winter. When Shara came home in the early evenings she hit like a small tornado, blowing off the ease of the day and spiking the nights with fun and activity. They watched movies and sang along to songs on the radio while they cut greens from their stems, scrubbed carrots, and washed leaves. They scoured Christmas tree farms in search of one worth decorating, and scoured pots and argued over whose turn it was to dry the dishes. Once, they went skating after the Christmas lights came on in the evening and they both stumbled home bruised and happy after Shara had attempted to copy a particularly talented skater's spin on the ice and insisted that one of them would manage it if they both tried for long enough.

("Why did I let you drag me into that?" Razi groused to a beaming Shara.

"Have you ever had so much fun in your life?

"I live with you! I've done six things more fun than that before breakfast some days," Razi laughed in reply)

On Christmas eve, things slowed down a bit. The two sat in the living room stringing cranberries to hang for the birds who hadn't gone for winter. Paint was drying in the kitchen, as Shara had finally decided to take her stencils to the table and the floor.

"Are you going to tell me, now? Or shall we pretend everything is fine for a bit longer?" Shara asked, casually reaching for another small fruit.

"Pretend," Razi replied definitively.

Shara raised an eyebrow but let it stand.

"Any interesting pranks so far this year then? Come tell mummy so that she can live vicariously through her much more evil… I mean magical daughter," she said.

Razi brought her string over and sat at her mother's feet.

"Well there was this one on the train to school," she began.

Later, after the strings were hung, and the gifts set teasingly close by beneath the tree covered in years worth of handmade ornaments, Razi curled up next to her mother on the sofa. She pressed ear into her mother's chest and pulled her arm around her. It was Christmas or nearly, and the world seemed somehow softer, more forgiving than it had before. She turned her face to press her nose into her mother and shifted a bit.

"They're fighting," Razi murmured into her mother's side, "Alyssa and Amanda. They're fighting. Amanda is …angry, and not entirely wrong."

Shara gave Razi a slow, warm squeeze that might have been a hug if her other arm hadn't been a little bit asleep.

"What about Alyssa?" Shara asked, staring off into the kitchen, feeling the slight frown pressed into her chest.

"She is my friend," Razi replied. Her voice was certain and final. "Am I wrong?"

Looking down to meet her daughter's eyes, Shara knew that with a word she could make her daughter doubt. She also knew something of the girl who'd left a comfortable world of wealth to weed gardens and see movies during the summer, who looked at their life with respect in spite of alleged training to do the opposite.

"I don't believe so, Razi. She is your friend. If you can trust her with whatever Amanda does not at the moment, I don't believe that's wrong at all."

"Good," Razi said, relieved.

"Now, what about the rest of it?"

Razi gave a huff that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. Of course Shara knew. She always knew.

"It's happening more and more - the deaths, the notices in the hall. I don't know if I can make us safe enough," Razi admitted. "Even Hogwarts might not-"

"Let me worry about safe," Shara said, her voice not faltering. "I'm still the mother in this outfit. Safe is my job."

"But mum, they-"

"Hush, Razi. Father Christmas won't come if you're awake. Trust your friend. Learn all you can. Leave the safe to me."

Razi, who trusted her mother with everything, found it easy to add their safety to the list, at least for the night. She gave in and went to sleep.

The next day brought owls from her friends, much to her mother's delight as the birds lined up patiently beside her closed window in the morning. There was also a long phone call with Elaine, whose parents had understood and were worried but glad that she'd told them about it all. She and her mother began planning the planting for spring and the year turned right on schedule. While ringing in the new year at a party in the local community center, Razi gave a moment's thought to what would be. Only a moment though, as the countdown pushed everything else from her mind in a rush of uncharacteristic optimism. It was the new year, and she would spend it as she began it, with a very good friend and the hope for better days.


	13. Chapter 13

The Dolohovs' party was boring. This wasn't a surprise, exactly; it was boring every year. Somewhere in the back of her head, though, she'd been wondering if Avery would liven things up or if the Dolohovs' strange insistence on her attendance would mean anything different.

Alyssa made the rounds with her parents early on, receiving the usual comments (or, rather, the usual comments to her parents _about_ her) on what a pretty young lady she was becoming and how clever she'd always been. She escaped to the library as soon as that was over, wondering who everyone thought they were fooling. The comments on her intelligence would have been gratifying if they had been delivered with anything other than the condescension it seemed everyone of her parents' generation visited on her. The comments about her looks were quite frankly uncomfortable and somehow seemed more sincere than those about her brain, which was insulting. She worked hard on her brain; the only time she could recall working hard on her appearance was tonight. Maybe she would have felt differently if the compliments had been different than any other Christmas party she had attended.

The book on magical history she pulled from the shelves proved as dull as the rest of the party. She glared at it. Literature did not often fail her, though it figured that if it were to do so it would be a bit belonging to the Dolohovs.

"I see you've run afoul of one of Mrs. Dolohov's famous misdirection spells," Avery said.

"I think I know the misdirection hex when I see it," she retorted, miffed. How in the name of Merlin did he manage to sneak up on her so often? How did he _find_ her? This window seat had been a reliable hiding place until now, positioned so it was out of sight of anyone opening the door.

"Not the hex," he said, clearly amused as he squeezed in next to her. "A spell. She has a whole array of them."

"I've never heard of different ones," Alyssa said, holding on to boredom as a defense against the tingling where his leg and shoulder were against hers (more like his arm and her shoulder, logic said. He's too tall for you. Her hormones pointed out that being taller was not a logical disqualification from attraction).

"I don't think it's common knowledge, but she's very good. Whatever you're reading is boring, right?"

"Deadly."

He smirked and waved his wand over the pages, a complex gesture that made her think he was better at wandwork than he liked to demonstrate at school. She refused to follow a confusing thought about quick hands.

"Look," he ordered.

She blinked at the space over the book first – really, looking at his hands and not even catching the spell? _Really?_ – and saw that the page had changed.

"Oh," she said.

"Love potions." Avery sounded nonplussed.

Alyssa shut the book with a snap. "Well, I certainly don't need those."

"No," Avery agreed.

"Have I been reading fake books all these years?" Alyssa demanded.

"It's possible."

She eyed the library warily. It looked the same as it always had: well-worn chairs (wear not caused by this generation, she thought uncharitably), well-lit large shelves stuffed with leather or dragon-skin tomes of all sizes, two small tables. Her window seat was one of three. She couldn't help but feel betrayed, silly as it was. This was the one thing she had ever actually liked about these parties.

She wished Razi and Ms. Levine were here.

Actually, no, she wished _she _was where they were, wherever that was. She'd be much less lonely with the two of them than here with Avery and her parents.

"Alyssa?"

"Have you seen Jonathan?" she asked, ignoring the unspoken question about her wellbeing. She stood, abruptly just wanting to move.

"With one of the Prewetts," Avery said, watching her. "Gideon, I believe."

The way he said it made her pause. Then another wave of loneliness crashed over her head, making it difficult to breathe for a short moment. Jonathan had Gideon. He had someone else to hold and to love and to tell that everything was going to be fine.

And he hadn't told her.

Did he think she'd have a problem with it? Did he think she'd act like their parents and pretend it didn't exist? Or did he just not think about telling her? Maybe this –this dating thing, this like-liking people thing – maybe it wasn't something you were supposed to share with little sisters, even when your little sister shared something similar with you. Maybe Avery didn't count – he wasn't entirely real, was he? Not like Gideon was real. Jonathan had a real boyfriend, and she needed a hug. Her parents wouldn't understand, her friends weren't here, her brother was busy. She hated that her eyes teared up.

"Alyssa?" Avery asked again. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, lips tight. Crying will not help, she told herself. Crying just wastes time and moisture and your face itches afterwards. Also this is ridiculous, why do you even want to cry?

"Do you want to get him? I can go with you…"

She shook her head again, more vehemently. She didn't want to be in this library with these fake books or this party with these fake people who were probably plotting ways to murder her friends while she sat in this room with her fake boyfriend.

"I want to go home," she finally managed. It came out only partly as a sob.

"I'll get your parents then?"

She grabbed his arm as he stood and went to walk past her, shaking her head yet again. She hadn't meant her house, and going to her parents would cause far too much of a fuss, with her mother saying sympathetic things about being overwrought and her father booming loudly about, "women, eh?"

Jonathan would leave Gideon. No, she would ride this party out to the bitter end if it killed her. Neither Dolohov had managed to put her off anything at school, she would be damned if their library (or their mother's spells) managed it.

Her plans were foiled. Oh, not the riding out the party plan. The no crying plan was defenestrated post haste when Avery sat her down on the window seat again and left to close the library door. She thought he'd put the door between them at first, and thought, there goes the anti-harassment plan too, but just when she settled in for a really good breakdown he reappeared with a handkerchief.

"Definitely not your parents then."

That actually made her cry harder. She should want her parents – her mother at least. They should be the people she could cry in front of without them completely disappearing (her father) or tutting about how delicate she was and _then_ disappearing (her mother).

Home, she thought miserably again, I want to go _home_. Now if only she could figure out where home was.

Avery sat with her until her sobs became hiccups before talking again. "It's okay to cry. I mean, well, my parents didn't like it when I cried either, said it wasn't very manly. I guess yours would say it wasn't ladylike? You can cry in front of me, though, it's okay."

So nice of him to give me permission, she thought, but felt badly about it a moment later. He was trying to be nice.

"Sometimes you have to, I know."

She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he meant it in the general sense and not in the sense of women. Maybe she hadn't really heard the slight stress on 'you' that would probably mean he thought he was being delicate about menstruation.

That almost set her off again, the thought that it probably should have been her mother giving her information on that subject and not Razi's (though Ms. Levine was an excellent source of information, and Irene Blythe's version of a discussion on girl's bodies and the happenings therein consisted of a vague monologue about something happening once a month and it being natural. If Alyssa had been a little less logical, she would have thought her mother meant she would turn into a werewolf). Everything she knew about sex came from Ms. Levine, too, but that topic had gotten awkward quickly. Razi's mother seemed to be under the impression that religion played some part in Alyssa's ignorance rather than parental reticence. Reading romance novels (muggle and wizard) occasionally directly contradicted facts given to her by Ms. Levine and didn't give her much more to work with, and more informative books on the subject were absent in Hogwarts' libraries and her parents' collection.

So when Avery leaned down to kiss her, Alyssa knew in theory that tongues could be involved (which seemed a little unsanitary, if you asked her) and that he would probably expect… something. Also she figured she looked a little like a puffy-faced drowned rat at this point, and that was not how she wanted to look for her first kiss, which everything she'd read insisted was a Very Important Event. Also, also, she did not want to be kissed by her (maybe slightly less fake) boyfriend among the (still very fake) books.

She turned away quickly, looking down at her hands, now knotted in her lap around the handkerchief. Her hair fell around her now even redder face.

Avery stopped and breathed in deeply through his nose.

"Sorry," Alyssa said hoarsely, wondering why she needed to apologize but doing it anyway. "I just… not _here_."

"Okay," he said. He sounded a little grudging, and it took him a moment to say it, but still. Points.

Another long moment of silence ensued, and the awkwardness was palpable.

Excellent, logic whispered. Alyssa thought that if it could it would be cackling and rubbing its hands together, except that wouldn't be logical and, of course, it was actually her brain.

Avery slid an arm around her shoulders instead. It wasn't a hug from her brother or her friends, but, she supposed, it was better than nothing. She leaned against his shoulder, and his arm tightened around her. They didn't stay like that for the rest of the party, but she kind of wished they had.

The Potters' Christmas party two days later made her wish Avery was there too, which was a first. Usually it was quite the opposite.

Then again, usually she wasn't a social pariah to her peers at the Potters' parties. His parents were perfectly nice as usual (Susanna Potter even had a short discussion with her on the effects of newts eyes versus toadstool rot for a few minutes before she had to greet more guests) but James Potter completely ignored her aside from a stiff 'hello' when his mother handed Alyssa off to him after the potions discussion. Black actually glared at her, and continued to do so until she escaped to the library. Again.

The Potters' library was not nearly so familiar as the Dolohovs'; she hadn't needed to hide in it often. She wondered sourly if _these_ books were disguised too, but stopped herself from being totally ridiculous and cast the counterspell she'd weaseled out of Avery. The books were real. She was, oddly, disappointed.

She told herself that as a teenager she was perfectly within her rights to have conflicting feelings on some subjects and yanked a tome almost as large as her head from a high shelf. Of course it overbalanced – it was that kind of day.

Someone caught it before it hit her face, though. She had a split second to wonder if Avery had even managed to follow her _here_ before Remus Lupin asked, "The Complete Treatise on Werewolves and the History of their Assimilation?"

"It's a fascinating subject," Alyssa said. "Even if the author seems intent on convincing his readers that werewolf rights have come along as far as they can or should. Because marginalizing part of the population is clearly the best way to go about things, don't you know."

Lupin regarded her with cool green eyes. "If you've read it already and don't like it, why read it again?"

"Because I like to fully document when people are _wrong_," Alyssa snapped. "With citations and red ink. And I like yelling at them for it in all capital letters in my notes, and right now I need to yell at something!"

"You're doing a very good job of it," he observed. "Yelling, I mean."

"I wasn't yelling," she corrected him. "I was using great emphasis. My volume was within perfectly acceptable parameters."

Lupin shrugged.

"Why are you here, anyway?" she asked.

"I was invited."

"I meant the library. I'm usually the only one hiding in libraries."

"We noticed," someone said behind Lupin, and Alyssa noticed for the first time that Peter Pettigrew was with them.

"Shouldn't you be out with the movers and shakers of society?" Lupin didn't sound bitter or snippy, just curious. Alyssa was reminded of why she'd had a crush on him when she was thirteen and he wasn't quite as terrible as the rest of the boys in their year (she still maintained that he should be in her house. Someone with his book smarts did not belong in the house of hitting people with sticks).

"This particular branch of the movers and shakers of society are following your friends' leads and pretending I don't exist with aggressive persistence."

"To be fair," Lupin said, speaking before Pettigrew could get a word out of his open mouth, "you are sending out some mixed signals."

"I wasn't aware I was sending signals at all."

"Aside from googley eyes at Sirius?" Pettigrew demanded irritably.

She pointed at him. "That was one month when I was twelve, which is exponentially less time than you spend making googley eyes at Potter."

"I think it was around three months," Lupin said, "but that's neither here nor there."

"I would like that book you have _there_ to be _here_ in my hands," Alyssa retorted. "Not that I don't appreciate the heroic gesture-" She stopped. She seemed to be spending a lot of time thanking people for heroic gestures lately. She wasn't sure she liked it. "- but next time let the book fall on my face and save me the passive aggressive lecture by proxy."

"Peter does the lectures by proxy," Lupin said while Pettigrew spluttered. "They don't trust me with them. They seem to think I'll make them more responsible-sounding than they'd like."

"Then you can go tell Potter and Black that they can lecture me in person whenever they'd like," Alyssa told Pettigrew. "Except no, they can't, because they aren't my brothers or even technically my friends, as they have very clearly shown."

Peter's glare could have peeled paint, but it was somewhat lessened by the way he scurried out of the room.

Lupin looked at her. He didn't seem upset now, either, just seemed to be studying her.

"Does _nothing_ irritate you?" she demanded.

"I've learned to roll with the punches. You're not usually mean, you know. Not to people who don't deserve it."

"Abrupt subject change. Maybe Pettigrew deserved it for being associated with certain people."

"Is that why you're being rude to me, too?"

"That and you won't hand over the book."

"The book that you hate for espousing the marginalization of people based on something beyond their control on the basis that that something is inherently a bad thing?"

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. "I see where you're going with this."

Lupin shrugged again.

"I have every right to date whomever I like."

"And my friends have every right to dislike proto-death eater bigots," he said equitably. "Maybe they feel like you deserve their current treatment for being associated with certain people."

She stalked out of the library and spent the rest of the night at her mother's side, comments about her looks be damned.


	14. Chapter 14

Razi always arrived at King's Cross early for the trip back to school; Her mother worked and after spending weeks together, it was exactly as difficult as it always was to say goodbye. She and Shara had a ritual breakfast of weak tea and horrid scones at a stand in the station and lingered together, trying to hold on to the time left to them.

"I'd tell you not to worry, but really, what's the use? Come home to me in the summer and we'll call it even," Shara said. "The grass will be as high as your head, and the garden will be overrun with things that need clipping and protecting from the heat. Too many vegetables to harvest, even then. Too much to do alone."

Razi leaned against her mother, taking in her warmth and the picture she was weaving.

"I miss you," Razi said, straightening and reaching for the cart with her trunk on it.

Shara smiled. "I know. But you're on your feet, and you're leaving me even though you're worried. Know what that means?"

Razi thought about it and replied, "That I'm as crazy as you are?"

Shara pulled her into a hug. "We've done well, we two. I'll see you soon."

She left and Razi went to the platform. It was nearly empty still, but Razi was pleased to see a familiar face.

"Glad it's over?" she called.

Alyssa, who'd been standing idly, looking down at the tracks, turned and walked over to her.

"Always. Ready to go back?" Alyssa replied. Razi smiled and walked back over to Alyssa's trunk with her.

"So, more compliments about your hair or eyes this time? I made a bet with Delaney," Razi teased. Eventually the platform filled and the train came.

They rode in a compartment with Delaney, Stark, Pratchett, and Elaine. When Amanda came to window of the compartment door while the others were playing exploding snap or chess but turned and walked away instead of joining them. Razi looked to her friends. For a moment, they all seemed wait for something. The moment passed. Delaney lost that game, but won one later.

Razi sat with Elaine at the Slytherin table at dinner that night. Listening to stories about Elaine's mother and father, who'd gone out and bought a security system but had also understood the importance of sending her back to school, Razi tried not to think of her own mother. The world seemed somehow bigger and closer both without her nearby. It was also likely an effect of the enchanted ceiling, she thought, looking out over the tables and glimpsing bits of the wide and starry sky.

"Did you tell them about that?" Razi asked, still looking up but noticing the way that her friends at the Ravenclaw table seemed to have more space than usual.

"Of course," Elaine told her. "Though you know, I don't think they believe me."

"Too brilliant?" Razi asked.

"Yeah, I think so. And pictures wouldn't do it justice. Can we go over there?"

The abrupt change in subject caught Razi off guard a bit, but in a good way. Elaine was paying attention.

"I think we'd better not, but we can see them at breakfast," Razi replied. Up the table from them, Avery and his friends were comparing notes on some party or another. The conversation effectively split the table between those who'd attended them and those who hadn't and Razi noticed the few students who tried to bridge that gap. There were three or four halfblood students, first or second generation who nodded along and asked questions and generally tried to seem worthy of joining Avery's court.

Even then, occasionally Dolohov's or Mulciber found time to look down table to where Razi and Elaine sat and, beyond them, to the less willing members of Avery's group and the halfblood and muggleborn students who accepted their places in Slytherin's social order. Tonight switching tables would be making a statement, and Razi wasn't sure exactly what kind.

"Do they ever come to your get-togethers with Pepper and Matthew and the others?" Razi asked, glancing at some of the muggleborn students. Razi realized that there were some from her year that she'd barely noticed. For four and half years her eyes slid past them but now, now she was one of them? She'd always been a muggleborn, had probably always been a Slytherin at heart, so why did she suddenly see other muggleborns differently?

"No, it's hard to know which ones can be trusted," Elaine sighed. "Harder to find a way to invite one without letting word get to the wrong people. Are you offering to help?"

Razi shook her head.

"You could come hang out. Pepper would love it, and I think Winston misses you," Elaine suggested.

Razi hid her amusement, taking a drink of her pumpkin juice. "Let's go. We can unpack, and my mother will have snuck some Mars Bars into my trunk."

"I'm taking your silence as a yes," Elaine informed her.

As they walked out of the hall, Razi thought about those muggleborn Slytherins again. One or two had shared a dorm with hers for years, and she didn't know much more than their names and positions in the house hierarchy.

"It's not a no," she replied, and the two made their way down into the dungeons.

Breakfast the next morning passed without incident. Razi and Elaine sat at the Ravenclaw table, Delaney snuck glances at Stark from across the hall, and everyone generally tried not to notice who Alyssa's eyes kept finding on those occasions she looked off in the opposite direction.

After breakfast Razi had Double Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. As she entered the classroom, out of habit she moved to sit closer to the Gryffindors, but found her usual seat at the edge of things taken. She ended up at a table with Evans and her friend MacDonald.

Professor McGonagall began class promptly.

"Today, in preparation for more advanced lessons, we will explore the precise art of correcting poorly done transfigurations. Your younger classmates have amassed a wealth of them. The theory behind the spell that we will use for most inanimate corrections-"

She continued, the class taking notes in silence with the exception of the moment about halfway through the first hour when Black, dozing off, knocked his inkwell from the table and attempted to avoid detention by claiming to be losing sleep for love of Transfiguration.

"Is that so?" McGonagall asked. "Then perhaps I should send you up to commiserate with the Headmaster. He used to teach this class; I'm certain he could instruct you in containing your devotion."

Razi had the sense that McGonagall let him stay to stop him from talking as much as any other reason. In any case, no one else so much as imagined speech again until it was time for the practical part of the lesson. They were each given a faulty match to needle conversion to begin with.

After several minutes of working, Evans spoke. "Either of you having any luck?" she sighed. Her assignment, which had begun as a metal matchstick, now looked a bit more wooden, but still had the odd shine of metal in places. Razi's was similar.

"No more than you have," she replied. She'd been preparing to ask if perhaps they'd confused something of the theory when MacDonald announced, "I've got it!" drawing Professor McGonagall's attention.

She inspected MacDonald's needle, lifting it up to the light before putting it back on the table.

"Excellent work, MacDonald. 10 points to Gryffindor," she told her with a smile. Then she moved on to observe the younger Dolohov's attempts at a table nearby.

"So let's have it Mary. What's the trick?" Evans asked, bumping her shoulder against MacDonald's with a smile.

"You've got to picture it just right," MacDonald informed them. "See what it is, not what it was, or what the person was trying to make it into. You're changing what's here."

Razi tried it again. Soon she had a perfectly well formed needle for her efforts.

"Thanks," Razi said as she picked it up to check for wooden bits.

When the class had mostly finished with the needles Professor McGonagall handed out other odd things, glass cups half turned into goblets and transfigured mirrors that showed things upside down, so that the class could try their hand at fixing them.

After class, Razi had lunch in the hall with Delaney and Alyssa. She tried to get them to give her hints about the potions class, which they'd just left. Razi had double potions with the Gryffindors again after lunch. The two were tight lipped on the subject though.

"It wouldn't be fair," Delaney pointed out. "Neither of us knew anything ahead of time."

"Yes, but both of you are better at potions than me. Fair would be giving me an advantage so that I might come to equal your greatness," Razi replied.

"The very nicest of tries, Razi," Alyssa said, teasing, and added, "but Delaney has a point. You'll do fine."

Of course, she did exactly that: fine. Razi struggled with the potion but did manage to make something vaguely effective that failed to melt her cauldron. They'd been working on wound cleaning potions, which meant no in-class testing of the potion's effects. If it hadn't been potions it might have been an enjoyable few hours, alone at a table in the back.

After class, Razi stopped by her dorm to get things that she'd need to study after dinner before going up to meet the Ravenclaws at their table. As she entered the hall she spared a small, controlled smile for Elaine, who sat with Matthew and Robin at the Hufflepuff table. Then she joined her friends for the meal. Over dinner she and Pratchett started a debate about vanishing charms that continued on and off through the study session afterwards in Ravenclaw tower. They got a late start when none of them could answer the question to get into the tower: "Who is the most recent person to be officially certified as fluent in Mermish?"

Eventually, frustrated and desperate, someone guessed, 'Albus Dumbledore'. When the door opened, they ran through as if afraid the knocker would change its mind.

Razi left Ravenclaw tower alone, brushing off Delaney's offer to walk with her. It was late and unnecessary. None of the Slytherin students had done anything more threatening than glare at her that day. Elaine would probably meet her in the hall anyway, on her way back after spending time with Pepper.

Looking around as she walked, Razi wondered if she should check with Winston to see if the girl had left yet, but decided against it, as the detour would lengthen the trip, and really, Elaine didn't need a minder. As she entered the dungeons, she heard something odd. It was a strange shuffling sound accompanied by a sort of cut off squeak. Razi stopped. It might have been a couple mice, or some students fooling around in one of the classrooms, or just the old walls finding room to settle even after all of the years that the castle had stood. She was tired, and the stone that surrounded her was cold and damp. She took a few more steps towards the dorm, but the sound came again. She turned and went back the way that she'd come before walking down the corridor that led to the classrooms.

As she went she cast a disillionment charm on herself and her things, and a separate spell to quiet her steps. Through the square opening on the wooden door at the end of the hall, she could see the distinct flash of a spell, this time a reddish purple she couldn't recognize and the strange pale light of lumos. Razi had always found wandlight disconcerting. It didn't mimic candles, torches, or sunlight at all and seemed all the more unnatural because of that. As she drew nearer she could hear that there were several people in the large storage room – doubly strange, as it was usually locked.

As she came to the door, closed but not enough to prevent a sliver of that cold light from angling out at her feet, she looked into the opening and stifled a gasp.

"Such a brave little kitten," Mulciber spat. He stood at the center of the room with several members of Avery's court, lining the walls and grinning down at the girl on the floor in front of them. "Stronger than I'd thought you'd be. So much more fun. _Facerevos! _Why don't you dance for us, MacDonald. You crawled so well."

Razi froze in sudden fear, and her dinner threatened to revisit as, fighting the spell the entire time, MacDonald drew slowly and jerkily to her feet. Her knees were red and scuffed, her robes pulled low on her shoulders with what liked shoe marks on the back, and her hands were dirty. Her face was red and wet with tears. She was clearly trying to shout as she fought the spell, but Parkinson, standing against the wall behind Mulciber, was casting regular silencing charms.

As she watched, MacDonald broke the curses hold and lunged for her bag where it sat on the floor just a meter or so from the door.

"_Facerevos! _Dance, mudblood!" He stepped towards where she lay struggling on the floor. "Stop, Parkinson, let's hear what it has to say."

"Coward!" MacDonald screamed, still fighting the other spell. "Couldn't face me with my wand, without your audience-"

Her eyes happened to lock on the square opening in the door where Razi stood, chilling her soul with the helpless anger she saw there, the fear that seemed to wash over her in waves.

Suddenly Razi could move again, but still she stared. If she opened that door and tried to help MacDonald, Mulciber would have her too and nothing would save her from his anger. Besides, Razi wasn't stupid, they'd all left her alone the moment Alyssa had given Avery a chance. If she proved too troublesome, no amount of potential displeasure on Alyssa's part would keep Avery from allowing his cronies to toy with her as they were with MacDonald. Even if they didn't do it directly, what might they do to Elaine or Pepper? MacDonald's bag, and her wand, were just a step away. _Razi_ was one step away from helping the girl who, exhausted and beaten but still struggling, began to jerk to her feet again.

She ran. Sick with her own cowardice and the horror of what she might be leaving MacDonald to suffer, she ran out of the dungeons and stumbled to the floor near the stairs.

"Levine?!" A voice called. It was Evans, and Lupin was with her.

"MacDonald!" she replied, standing. "I didn't… I swear it, I'm not…down by the class rooms. It's bad."

A group of three Gryffindor girls walked up as she spoke.

"MacDonald? Yes, we're looking for her," Evans said, she reached out with a comforting hand but Razi shrugged it off. Calming down, she tried again.

"If you were to head down towards the classrooms, right now, it might help. Several of you, mind, " she said, placing an odd emphasis on the word 'help'.

Lupin took off, and Evans tossed a 'Thanks' over her shoulder as she followed and passed him, drawing her wand.

"Don't," Razi breathed into the empty hall, only then wondering when the disillusionment charms had slipped away.


	15. Chapter 15

Razi seemed rattled the next morning. Not that most people would notice, obviously – the only reason Alyssa did was that Razi accidentally put a small quiche on her plate. Alyssa snatched it quickly.

"Quiche has egg, Razi, or are you changing your stance on your dietary habits? I think these even have bacon."

"Thought it was one of the vegan pastries the house elves make sometimes," her friend said, grimacing at the offending breakfast food.

Alyssa took a bite. "No," she said, mouth full in a way her mother would close her eyes in silent benediction over if she happened to be eating with Alyssa, "that's definitely egg and bacon."

Razi shook her head and dished herself some shredded potatoes with onion.

"How do the house elves know where you sit?" Delaney wondered, not for the first time. Razi shrugged.

Alyssa waited until Razi had moved her food around on her plate for a few minutes (she finished the quiche in the meantime) before quizzing her. "Are you sick?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

"No and no," Razi said firmly.

"Razi, you put animal products on your plate."

"I thought it was a vegan pastry."

"Exactly."

"Exactly what, Alyssa?" Razi demanded.

Alyssa opened her mouth to answer, but caught sight of Mulciber and a few other Slytherins slinking into the hall looking rather worse for wear. "Were Black and Potter busier than usual last night?" she wondered. Razi didn't respond. Alyssa looked at her, surprised. Razi never missed a chance to make clever replies.

Razi was looking at her plate.

"Something happened," Alyssa said, suddenly furious. She looked around for Avery, part of her mind snarling about deals and plans and scratching backs. Then she stopped cold.

She hadn't kissed Avery at the party. He'd seemed all right with it then: not ecstatic, obviously, but all right. But she hadn't kissed him and two days after returning to school something had happened to Razi.

"_No_," Razi said, but Alyssa was already standing. Razi yanked her back down. "Nothing happened to me," she hissed.

"Then why are you so upset?" Alyssa hissed back. Delaney looked their way, attention pulled away from Stark for a moment. Alyssa managed to smile at her and shrug. Delaney rolled her eyes and returned to dreaming of more intimate inter-house cooperation (or so Alyssa assumed).

"I'm not allowed to have an off day?" Razi demanded.

"There are off days and there are days where you are freaked out enough to almost break being vegan and Mulciber comes in with his cronies looking like he's been in a fight," Alyssa retorted. "_Mulciber_, Razi. And there's a whole slew of Gryffindors missing that don't actually include Potter and Black."

"So I'm having an off day and the Slytherins and Gryffindors had a rumble," Razi said. "Coincidences happen."

She was lying. That hurt.

"Razi," Alyssa said, pleading.

Razi sighed and gave in. "I might have let the Gryffindors know one of their own was having an altercation with a few of my housemates. Can we keep it quiet?"

Razi hadn't been the target. Alyssa relaxed a little.

Then she noticed that the Slytherin table was very quiet that morning.

In Alyssa's experience, the Slytherin table hadn't ever been exactly boisterous, but it had always held its own in the never-ending war of noise to be heard in the great hall. Now it was almost silent. She glanced over her shoulder to look again at Mulciber.

He glowered across the table at Lestrange, his blonde hair reflecting the sunlight in a golden halo that might have been attractive except that he was Mulciber. Avery wasn't there yet, and Lestrange seemed to be taking advantage of that by speaking quietly but apparently clearly, leaning across the table in a way that seemed to be more looming than anything else. Mulciber didn't look to be backing down, though he was sitting unnaturally straight on the bench.

"Think that's about the fight?" Alyssa asked.

Razi favored her with a long, slow blink.

"Right, what else could it be."

Avery walked in then, and, noticing Lestrange's focus, strode immediately over to put a hand on Mulciber's shoulder and say something curt, but still quiet, to the older boy. Lestrange sat back, but the twist to his lip said he wasn't happy about it. Mulciber relaxed.

"I don't understand," Alyssa said. "Why in the world does Avery keep Mulciber around?"

"Because evil enjoys evil company," Razi retorted, and returned to her meal.

Alyssa blinked, slow and hard. It wasn't the blink Razi had given her before, because she enjoyed Avery's company. Sometimes. Often. He _liked_ her. It wasn't why she'd started hanging out with him or why she agreed to lunch with him or even why she kept seeing him, but she still liked that. Nobody had ever told her they liked her before, not like that. It was nice.

She had to remind herself that he was hardly that nice to everybody.

She also had to remind herself that staring at him might be construed as creepy, but that was only until he turned and met her eyes. She smiled tentatively. He returned it with a surer one, but slid onto the bench next to his friend instead of coming over.

"I'll be back in a little bit," Alyssa told the table at large absently, standing up.

"Where are you-" Delaney began to ask, but Alyssa walked away.

It took Avery a moment to notice her, during which time she considered her options. She could leave without him seeing her (though that would be difficult, with Dolohov the younger eying her curiously from next to Lestrange). She could do something daring, like shove her way between him and Blackthorn (she was not going to sit next to Mulciber unless no other option presented itself).

Or she could wait until he noticed her, which was the default choice when sitting and thinking about options took too long.

"Hi," Alyssa said, when he looked back at her. It wasn't particularly suave, but given that her spleen was trying to crawl into places in her body it in no way belonged, she decided to take it as a win.

"Hey," he replied. She was surprised that he seemed surprised, not because he _was_, necessarily, but because he let her see it.

"I just wanted to say that," she said. "Because I haven't since we got back."

"Oh," he said. She smiled, convinced she was showing too many teeth. Or maybe not enough. How many teeth were appropriate for a smile?

Avery shoved at Mulciber's shoulder. They proceeded to have a silent conversation with their eyebrows that Alyssa found supremely annoying and made her wonder if she and Razi ever did the same thing, but in the end Mulciber scooted over.

"Sit with me?" Avery asked, looking back up at her.

Success was to be hoped but not planned for. Alyssa couldn't figure out whether sitting next to Avery was a success or not. Either way, she still had to sit next to Mulciber. She slipped onto the bench with as much room as possible between her and Mulciber without touching Avery.

Avery turned back to his conversation, though his hand now rested rather distractingly on her knee. She glanced at Mulciber to see how he was taking this.

Mulciber smiled, wide and predator, and slid slightly closer. Alyssa gave him a look her mother would have encouraged ('I am a descendant of Merlin on both sides with no muggles recorded ever, and you are not worth my time, peasant') and slid more than slightly farther away, pressing her entire leg up against Avery's with no qualms whatsoever if it meant making sure Mulciber didn't touch her even accidentally.

The Dolohovs watched the interplay with interest while Snape picked at the food on his plate with the air of irritated boredom that he wore when not brewing potions or speaking directly to Lily Evans.

Or being tormented by Potter and Black, but she supposed Evans had mostly put a stop to that through the power of sheer attraction. Alyssa should ask her for tips.

"And what brings you here to sit with us, Alyssa?" Mierin Smythe asked, sugar-sweet. Alyssa was quite certain that she'd never exchanged more than ten words with Smythe in the entirety of their five years at Hogwarts, and even more certain that they were not on a first name basis.

"Society," Alyssa said shortly, and turned her back on Mulciber and Smythe to lean more into Avery and listen in on his conversation with Parkinson and Rabastan Lestrange.

"MacDonald shouldn't have been in the dungeons," Parkinson said. "Snooping around near our common room."

"You could have been more discreet," Lestrange retorted.

"How were they to be more discreet?" Avery asked, thumb stroking where his hand had slid infinitesimally up Alyssa's thigh. "If they'd gone anywhere else the Heads would have run into them, given Parkinson's luck."

Parkinson made a sour face. "I swear Blythe has it out for me."

Avery turned his head to look at Alyssa where she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Do you think your brother has it out for Parkinson?"

"Does one have it out or in for someone?" she mused, distracted momentarily. "I've always wondered."

"Is that a yes?" Lestrange asked dryly.

Alyssa shrugged. "As far as I know Jonathan has never looked for specific interlopers. Well. Maybe Black and Potter."

"That could change," Mulciber said, far, far too close for Alyssa's liking. "Considering who's dating his sister."

She pretended to consider it as the rest of the table snickered. "No, I think he'd still prefer to catch Black or Potter. Or better yet, both."

Smythe sighed. "I'd like to catch Black."

"I don't think he's interested," Alyssa informed her. "He cut all ties to me when I started dating Avery, and given how long you've been friends…"

"I wouldn't call it friends," Avery murmured in her ear. "And you can call me Josh, you know."

"Oh, do you think he was jealous?" Smythe asked, hot on the trail of gossip.

Alyssa blinked at her, but managed not to burst out laughing. "No."

"Why would you want to date a blood traitor anyway?" Lestrange demanded.

"He's a pureblood," Smythe defended herself. "Maybe he just needs to be away from Potter's influence. And that awful little Pettigrew."

"Not to mention Lupin," Snape muttered.

"You're never going to pry him away from any of them," Alyssa said, "So the point is moot."

"We could do some prying if need be," Mulciber contributed. "Give me an hour or so."

Alyssa shuddered despite herself.

"You're not as good as you think you are, Mulciber," Lestrange said. "Don't get a swelled head because you've hurt a couple of mudbloods."

Alyssa turned her head so she lay against Avery's shoulder instead of just resting her chin there, sliding an arm through his in lieu of saying something pithy about word use or Mulciber. Or Lestrange, for that matter. Avery squeezed her thigh, and she couldn't decide if it was a good or bad thing that his hand was considerably higher than where it had been a moment ago. Was this all it took to be accepted here? She wondered. Just a pedigree and a boyfriend? Smythe didn't even have the boyfriend, though if Alyssa remembered her family trees Smythe was as pureblooded as Alyssa herself, so her presence still made sense. Snape was a partblood, Mulciber's great-grandmother had been a partblood (but a Black; that counted for something), Lestrange probably wasn't descended from Merlin on _both_ sides but the blood was definitely there…

Of the group, she, Smythe, and Avery – Josh – were the purest, unless the Dolohovs had a scion of Merlin on their tree that she couldn't remember.

Mulciber didn't deign to reply to Lestrange, but Parkinson grumbled. Alyssa snagged a sausage from Avery's plate.

It was Alyssa's Slytherin Day. Usually this would have meant clustering around Razi with the rest of her friends all morning through Charms and Double Herbology, followed by lunch while clustering around Razi, followed by grudgingly heading off to History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs.

Today Slytherin Day was spent with Avery. In all fairness it wasn't horrible, though not even the crystalized pineapple he gave her at break made up for not exchanging snarky notes with Razi and Delaney. It was even almost as difficult to trudge off to History of Magic after lunch.

History of Magic was a class that Alyssa had long ago realized was worth sleeping through. Binns never deviated from the textbook (which could use some updating, if she was honest) in his lectures, and he never noticed if a student was doing something else. So when she put her book down on the desk and opened it to a page somewhere in the middle, she promptly put her arms on the book and her head on her arms. She had a deal with Delaney involving potions work that would ensure she was woken up when it was time to go to her next class.

It was shaping up to be a nice after-lunch nap until someone on her right poked her in the shoulder. Since Delaney was on her left, Alyssa ignored it. Someone had probably accidentally gotten her with a quill. The poke came again, harder this time. Alyssa turned her head where it lay on her arms to look at the Hufflepuff beside her with one irritated eye.

Ted Tonks frowned at her.

"_What_, Tonks?" Alyssa asked quietly. "You know I'm not taking notes."

"And that you'll get a good score on the exams anyway, which is unfair, but that's not my point," Tonks said in a normal voice. Binns didn't even look up.

"And what is your point, besides the ink stains on my robes?"

"It's black on black, you can't even see it."

Alyssa felt that this would be beside the point even if it were true, but Tonks never noticed things like inkspots anyway.

"Why in god's name are you dating Avery?"

Ugh. Alyssa turned her head back so that her face was hidden again. "Why do you care, Tonks?"

"Because until recently I thought you were without a doubt a decent person," he retorted. "You start hanging out with Avery and people are going to wonder."

"You hang out with Andromeda," Alyssa said into her arms, using her cousin's first name only because there were currently four Blacks attending Hogwarts, Bellatrix having graduated a year ago. Alyssa and Andromeda did not get along. It was possible that it had been Alyssa's fault, but how was she supposed to know those pants were _Andromeda's_, for heaven's sake?

"Andromeda doesn't preach pureblood philosophy every chance she gets."

"Nor does Avery," Alyssa said, though this was only true for a given value of, well, truth.

"Uh-huh." Tonks did not seem impressed by her comeback. "Well, when you get invited to one of his Slytherin pow-wows I'm sure you'll still think so." He turned back to Binns.

Pow-wows? What kind of pow-wows? Razi hadn't mentioned pow-wows.

The thought occupied her all the way through Arithmancy, where Alyssa was usually attentive if only so she could get nearly-perfect grades to justify taking a class that her mother had thought too hard for her. She managed to remember to wave to Avery at the Slytherin table at dinner before she slid onto the Ravenclaw bench next to Razi.

"Slytherin pow-wows," Alyssa said.

"Are to be avoided?" Delaney guessed from across the table, for once not mooning after Stark.

"What do they involve, exactly?"

"Nothing particularly pleasant," Razi replied. "Why, were you thinking of going to one?"

"I strongly advise you to steer clear of that crazy," Delaney offered. "However nice Avery may be to you, the people he tends to hang out with _are not_."

Alyssa smiled widely at Delaney. "Of course."

The prefect watched her for a second and sighed, shoulders slumping. There was something sad around her eyes when she said, "I think I'm going to go see how Amanda is doing."

Alyssa nodded. Delaney picked up her plate and hesitated a moment, but turned to walk down the table a little ways to sit next to Pratchett, who led the pack in greeting her like a long-lost sister.

"So?" Alyssa asked Razi, who seemed entirely too interested in the goings on at the other end of the table.

Razi shrugged. "How would I know? They don't exactly hand out invites to muggleborns."

"You usually know something," Alyssa pointed out.

"Avery holds court, people tend to do what he tells them, they sit under one of the windows," Razi replied. "You think I want to know their death eater nonsense?"

Alyssa blinked at her. "Yes."

"Not at the expense of my wellbeing," Razi said firmly.

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a bit.

"Delaney's not coming back, is she." Alyssa said.

"No."

Alyssa managed a much smaller smile than she had earlier. "That's what I thought."

Razi shifted uncomfortably, which was unusual and uncomfortable for Alyssa too.

"You should go sit with them," Alyssa said.

"I'm fine," Razi replied, taking another forkful of broccoli.

"No, really. You should." Alyssa smiled a little more genuinely when she met Razi's eyes. "You should," she said again.

Razi eyed her for a long moment. "Thursdays. After dinner. Before my astronomy class. Wander around the halls a bit – I'll find you."

Alyssa watched her walk away and pause behind Amanda. The other girl didn't even wait a moment before moving aside so Razi could sit beside her.

Alyssa went back to the Slytherin table to sit with Avery.


	16. Chapter 16

The next days were some of the strangest Razi had ever experienced. In some ways, it was like having her life reset to the way it was the year before.

She went to bed that first night, having eaten and talked with her friends in Ravenclaw. She got up the next morning, took down her wards, spelled her belongings safe for the day, and went to rejoin her friends at breakfast.

The differences, harsh and new, registered as she was waved over to the Slytherin table by Elaine, who'd eaten with other houses the day before. When she sat down, she noticed that Avery had arrived and was using his bag to ensure that there was room for someone next to him, on the side opposite the one Mulciber already sat beside him. Across the way, Delaney and Amanda were talking, getting caught up.

When Alyssa came in to breakfast and walked towards the Slytherin table, Elaine moved to wave her over.

"Alyssa, hey-" Elaine started but stopped when Razi nudged her in the side with her elbow.

Alyssa still approached though, pausing across the table from them.

"Razi, Walker," she said as she nodded in brief greeting and flashed a small smile at Elaine. "Nice to see you finding where you fit. Razi, OWL review in the library at break?"

"If you can spare the time. I know it's a long day," Razi replied with polite ease.

"I'll see you then," Alyssa told her, and with a quick raise of her hand in parting she continued up the table and slid into the now empty place at Avery's side.

"Oh, I've found where I fit alright," Elaine muttered. "Should I ask?"

"About OWLs? If you like," Razi said casually, as she gave a barely noticeable shake of her head. "Though I will say that there are some things that you can't understand from the outside. We've been studying for months."

"Then I'm sure you'll do well," Elaine replied carefully.

Razi reached out and took some apple slices and walnuts from a nearby platter with a great silver spoon, grabbed a small wheat roll from a platter that had appeared in front of her when she'd sat down, and began to eat, avoiding sending so much as a glance up the table. Casting an eye around the hall, she noticed Jonathan at the Ravenclaw table, sitting in midst of Alyssa's formerly regular area. The expression on his face was dark.

Razi pulled a bit of parchment from her bag and wrote something down. Then she folded the note and it disappeared into the shadow under the table. A moment later, Pratchett, casting a vaguely confused look in Razi's direction moved and sat down near him. Amanda and Delaney followed and soon he looked… if not better, at least more occupied.

Further across the room Razi noticed MacDonald. Even from a distance Razi could see the strength in her. She was quiet but proud somehow, and worn looking in a way that she hadn't been before. Razi looked away, feeling her heart speed up and her face warm in remembered fear and shame, just as they had when Razi had seen her in class the day before and looked for a sign as to whether or not she'd seen Razi in the doorway that night.

MacDonald was all right, no lasting physical injuries, but that didn't change what Razi had seen and done. She'd made the only choice that might have kept herself and her younger friends safe. Razi had done the smart thing, the Slytherin thing. Pulling a bit of apple from her plate, now nearly empty, she wondered if she'd ever forgive herself for it.

"Come study with us in Gryffindor tower," Elaine offered, standing. Razi realized that several people were rising, it was time to head to class, Herbology in greenhouse five. "Tonight, you can tell me what you can about OWLS or whatever the thing with Alyssa is."

Razi had a sudden vision of Robin or Matthew in MacDonald's place, and knew that she'd still have run, though the knowledge made her feel less regret at how light a breakfast she'd eaten.

"Maybe another night," Razi sighed, and gathered her things to go to class.

Classes that day went was well as could be expected. She'd had Herbology with Hufflepuff and partnered with Joan Miller, whom Razi had seen practicing as Hufflepuff's reserve seeker; she was polite enough and had sat next Razi in charms that afternoon chatting in a kind, low voice in between attempts at a charm that organized bookshelves. Directly after lunch, she'd had Defense with the Gryffindors. Razi ended up seated next to Pettigrew, because Lupin was out sick and the professor was insistent about not leaving empty chairs near the front. They'd ignored each other and been pleased to do it, so class passed in peace.

After Defense and before Charms, she'd gone to the library and studied with Alyssa. They'd been quiet, and mindful of other patrons, though they had passed notes.

_Thanks for Jonathan, but he'll learn to deal. –A _

_Probably. He won't be alone while he's learning. Our friends aren't entirely disloyal. –R _

_Don't. How are they? –A _

_Fine. Confused. You? –R _

"Fine, oh charms mistress of infinite wisdom, please explain the theory behind Flame Freezing charms , and use very big words, I hear the OWL scorers are fond of that," Alyssa instructed, and after they stayed on topic.

Razi had dinner with the Ravenclaws, meeting up with Amanda as she walked into the hall and going with her to where Pratchett and Delaney sat.

"So, Razi, you've missed our last few study sessions," Amanda said as they sat down, "I found this article in Charms Monthly, about light manipulating charms. I thought I'd hand it off at yesterday's but-"

"Do you have it with you?" Razi interrupted. "It was kind of you to hold onto it. I know it's easy to lose track of things when there's so much going on. I didn't know about the session yesterday."

"Feels like OWLs are right around the corner and career meetings!" Delaney added while looking back and forth between her friends.

"I don't have the article with me but we're reading class together at first break tomorrow, you could stop by the tower," Amanda invited. "Pratchett could fill you in on our review schedule."

Pratchett nodded his willingness as he took another bite of his meal.

"That'll be fine, though I might not be able to make it to all of the sessions. I'm tutoring a first year," Razi replied. They usually set the schedule as a group, so that classes and other conflicts could be planned for.

"They could come with you," Delaney offered. "We're doing a lot of review, so whoever it is might get ahead in something."

"Yeah , any friend of yours is a -" Amanda began, but paused.

"I wanted to hear how your break was, Pratchett," Razi said, changing the subject. " I know you were talking about some research before…"

The conversation turned to Pratchett's research on heating spells and snow dwellings. Down the table, Jonathan and Wesson were talking. Razi noticed that he'd chosen a seat that let him see Slytherin table, and by extension Alyssa.

He wasn't the only one watching. Albus Dumbledore, who appeared to be deep in conversation with McGonagall, occasionally glanced over there, as did Sirius Black. Razi couldn't tell whether Black was glaring at Avery and Alyssa or simply putting on a mask of irritation so that he could look at his younger brother and third cousin, Regulus, without seeming to care about him.

The younger Black brother was sitting close to Avery and Alyssa, presumably attempting to learn something of the new entrant into their game of bloodlines and allegiances. If Razi could have summoned the will to care, she might have felt sorry for him. The very fact that he'd had to come to Alyssa, though he was second in line to inherit in a family with pure blood, deep vaults, and deeper ties to power, proved that if it ever was a game, he'd lost it in a previous round.

Razi tuned back into Pratchett's ramblings, letting a final thought about the effect of Sirius Black's perpetual war against Slytherin on the power of his family's name within Hogwarts pass by unheeded. He was so enthusiastic about his findings that eagles would probably find it rude not to have a good question ready.

"Tutor me," Elaine demanded quietly walked towards the hall for breakfast the next morning, "The subject is still Slytherin, because I have no idea what's going on right now. I've noticed-"

"Not here," Razi told her, stopping and pulling her into an empty classroom, before setting silencing wards.

"Well?" Elaine asked.

"Today's lesson is this: Knowledge is power."

"So we're Ravenclaws now?" Elaine huffed, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"No, for Ravenclaws knowledge is knowledge, and they love and respect it in and of itself. For us, knowledge is very often currency, or a shield, or wand. What we know is the foundation for our choices," Razi instructed.

"So what does Alyssa know, all of a sudden?" Elaine asked leaning in. "And her friends are Ravenclaws but they seem to think they know some things as well."

"What Alyssa knows is…" Razi paused and Elaine waited, entranced only to falter as Razi finished, "her own mind. She'll thank you not to question it, or she would if that weren't an act of common decency when the person involved hasn't given you reason to believe them incompetent."

Elaine looked somewhat stung by that, so Razi continued, "I'm sorry, but you are still very new to this world, and still eleven years old. There are things you don't need to understand, and there is power that you will grow to wield in time. The eagles are angry because, to them, associating with Avery is making a declaration: the sort that they won't echo by associating with her."

"But you will," Elaine extrapolated, "And you're okay with me echoing it too, because you never told me that I shouldn't be friendly with her. I'm trying to stay safe here, to do well, like you have. And I'm twelve by the way, late birthday."

"Sorry, but the point stands. As for echoing…You make your own choices. She's my best friend. Maybe I believe that what she's saying is something altogether different than what they hear," Razi replied. She was taking something of a risk, and not being entirely honest with her young friend, but declaring her trust might keep Elaine from turning away from Alyssa in the same way that Delaney and Amanda had. Alyssa's fond regard was just as protective for Elaine as it was for Razi. Breaking faith with her now could have consequences.

"Fine," Elaine replied. "We're hanging out again and doing homework, though it's a slightly different group. We're with Winston tonight, so if you just didn't want to be seen wandering into the lion's den…"

"Maybe," Razi replied. "Let's get to breakfast before class."

Razi ate breakfast with the Ravenclaws, sitting next to Delaney and across from Amanda. She pulled out her Defense book and began rereading the chapter for the day, but stopped a few pages in to join a debate on the usefulness of the Patronus charm beyond the fighting of dementors.

She partnered with Tonks in Defense, practicing shield charms that conjured wooden shields, and afterword, made her way up to Ravenclaw tower for the first time in the calendar year. By walking in with a group of 6th years, Razi avoided having to answer the question at the door. When she entered though, she found Delaney waiting in a chair nearby.

"I thought might have to let you in, the knocker's been in a mood lately," Delaney said. "Come on, Amanda's upstairs."

Delaney turned and led the way through the white marble chamber with its old but pristine tapestries and hangings in blue and bronze above sensible chairs and desks where students talked, studied and experimented. The spiral stairways up to the dorms had shelves set into the wall with a library of books left behind by Ravenclaws who'd come and gone before, leaving behind their treasures in love and good faith.

The fifth year girls' dorm was just as it had been earlier in the year. The circle of four-poster beds with their royal blue hangings was unchanged by the trials and tiff of its occupants. Razi shrugged off the sense of déjà vu and walked over to where Amanda sat on her bed.

"Here's that article, and Pratchett needed to get to the library but here's when we're studying," Amanda informed her, handing her the charms journal open to the relevant page, and a bit of parchment. " Sit down. It's been a while. I got a new wireless with my Christmas money."

The three of them found comfortable places on or against the bed and fell into a new approximation of an old routine. Razi got out her datebook and began working out which study sessions she would try to make it to while the other two read for classes. Briefly Amanda and Delaney discussed the merits of Astarian Gimbole's music over that of Lunaria Warbeck, much to the distaste of another girl from their year who'd come up to fetch a book from her trunk, but otherwise they were quiet.

Razi went with them to Double Potions. When they arrived in the classroom, Alyssa and Avery were already seated at Avery's usual workspace. Razi and Delaney sat together at a table not far behind them and Amanda sat with another girl in their year a few tables further back. Alyssa acknowledged Razi with smile and a quick wave as she passed, but turned her attention back to Avery, who seemed quite, if quietly, pleased with the state of his life and the world at large. Razi wondered if any face in all the world had ever seemed more deserving of a swat.

Slughorn entered, immediately instructing them to acquire ingredients for the day's potion while spouting off about it in some language that Razi was certain could not be English. Dutifully she went and got the needed items, taking a moment longer than she should have because she wasn't certain whether it mattered if they used powdered or chopped newt-wart. As she walked back with her things she noticed the apparently genuine look of enjoyment on Alyssa's face as she responded to something Avery said. She turned her face away a bit, as though hiding the hint of red on her cheeks or the upturned corner of her mouth. Good acting? Maybe. Razi tried to put it from her mind, because if she'd bought the lie then so would he, and if she'd stumbled on the truth, if Alyssa was in some way happy to sit at Avery's side…? Razi trusted her friend, and really, she couldn't find it in herself to begrudge her some happiness after all that she'd given up recently.

Razi stayed with the Ravenclaws through lunch before heading off to History of Magic with the Gryffindors, where Binns, forgetting which class that he was teaching, proceeded to lecture them about the same goblin war for the second consecutive class period. Razi felt justified as she pulled out the article from Amanda and read it through twice, preparing to debate its claims.

Razi had the odd sense of being watched as she walked out of the great hall after dinner. She glanced up at the emptying dais where the professors and headmaster sat at meals, expecting to see the headmaster looking back, but he wasn't there. She ducked behind a door and wished suddenly for the days when she'd had simple friendships and people who'd guard her back and stand at her side. Elaine and her group had that, Razi knew. She was offering to share it. Razi shook her head to clear it and stepped out of the shadows. Maybe just one time, she thought.

Distracted, she bumped into someone who was leaving the hall.

"Sorry," she said quickly, then focused and noticed who she'd hit.

MacDonald smiled apologetically.

"No, it's fine, I was a bit distracted myself," she said, and turned to walk up towards Gryffindor Tower.

Razi, in a moment of sudden realization, called out to her, "Wait. Are you busy?"

Razi had done the smart thing, that horrible night. She'd done the Slytherin thing; the right thing for her and hers. It had not been the right thing overall. Razi owed MacDonald for that, even if no one else in the world ever sensed that drop of red in her ledger.

"No, Why? Can I help you with something?" MacDonald asked, walking up to her.

"Not as such, but… There's someone who'd like to meet you. A first year slytherin, muggleborn," Razi started walking and MacDonald, curious, walked with her. Razi lowered her voice to near a whisper, "She and some friends meet sometimes to help each other with things."

Razi gave her a pointed look, but MacDonald seemed utterly baffled.

"I think you could help them," Razi hedged, "and I think they could help you. Please will you meet them?"

"Where?" MacDonald stopped suddenly, noticing that they were heading toward the dungeons.

"See that portrait over there? There's a room behind it, I'll show you how to get in. There's at least one Gryffindor girl inside already. You'll come to no harm," Razi told her, taking a step away from her and trying to seem somewhat harmless. The effect was vaguely comical and MacDonald relaxed a bit.

Razi walked up to the portrait and MacDonald followed a couple of steps behind.

"My mother will never fly a broom," Razi told Winston.

"That's not so bad, and she might do. The future is horribly uncertain," Winston replied.

"You don't know my mother, she'd love it. And she's a muggle. There are some certainties in life," Razi told him.

"And most of them unhappy," Winston sighed drearily as the portrait opened.

"You came!" Elaine cheered as they stepped inside and the portrait closed slowly behind them.

"Mary MacDonald, Fifth Year Gryffindor, and muggleborn student," Razi said, "meet Elaine Walker and Pepper Green, both muggleborn first years, and Matthew…"

"Ellison, Matthew Ellison," he volunteered. "Proud third year Hufflepuff and also a muggleborn. Elaine has got something like a club going. It's nice to meet you. And nice for you to come too, Razi."

Matthew had been standing near the back wall and reading what looked to be a divination text when they entered. He put it down as they spoke and Razi realized it was probably some sort of fantasy novel. She noticed other books now, amid the old textbooks and caldrons on the shelves, and a strangely still poster of a woman that Razi recognized vaguely as a muggle actress spellotaped to a wall on one side of the room. They'd made themselves at home.

"What is this?" MacDonald asked.

"Well, we look out for each other. We're friends," Elaine told her carefully and somewhat solemnly. "There are a couple of others, and we make sure we aren't alone. All the purebloods know each other. I want to know some people too. And talk about home with people who understand."

"We have cookies," Pepper said, mocking Elaine's purposeful and somber tone.

MacDonald looked at Matthew He nodded, and added, " I heard about… it happens a lot. More now than before. There are other first years besides them, and another from my year, Robin Arnesworth. We can help them."

That, more than anything seemed to decide her. She walked over and sat next to Pepper.

"Oatmeal chocolate chip?" she asked the young Gryffindor.

"Next time for sure," Pepper promised grinning. "What kind of movies do you like? If you say romantic comedies I'll mock you forever, won't I Matt?"

Razi was relieved when MacDonald slipped in as though she were always meant to be there. She was in good hands. Razi moved to leave unnoticed, she thought, but Matt crossed the room and stopped her at the door with a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off, but met his eyes to soften the gesture. "You're not staying?"

"No," Razi said. "I've got a prior engagement. I'll see you around."

Razi hoped that she did, however much she feared what she might see and what she might have to walk away from, or decide to do. She remembered the way he'd talked about his sister. She sounded like Razi's mom, and Razi wondered how old she was. She liked how open he seemed, too, and wondered if it was just the company that made him so at ease.

"Chance would be fine, if you won't stay," he retorted, not unkindly, " but I won't keep you from your engagement."

"It won't be chance," Razi replied. "The book you were reading looks interesting. We'll talk, just later."

When Razi left,, she thought she was alone, but the portrait stayed open for a moment long than it should have. Plans formed behind blue eyes that, if the eavesdropper had not been invisible, might just have twinkled a bit as he walked.

Wandering the halls, Razi found Alyssa sitting on sill of a window near the library. They shared a glance; Razi did a quick pair of notice-me-not charms on them and they slipped into the library. They passed a few people finishing up work or looking up books in the stacks, but they did so quietly. There were study carrels in the back, dusty and forgotten; tiny alcoves without doors, spelled to keep out most sounds. These were their destination.

The two of them sat on the desk, facing the open part of the wall, looking out on bookcases and the occasional floating candle visible above them. Razi spelled them silent and safe.

"Think the Cannons have any hope this year?" Razi said when she was done.

"Do they ever?" Alyssa replied on a startled laugh. "Are we really going to talk about quidditch?"

"Or movies. There's a ton you should see, if you come this summer," Razi replied.

"We could make a day of it. What are you planting this year?" Alyssa asked.

"Loads of things. Strawberries, blueberries, those might be jam before we get there," Razi listed, closing her eyes. "A few herbs in the window boxes, lots of flowers."

" Lovely, I could work on my weeding. You know, I'd love a good jam. The ones here are fine but…" Alyssa let it trail off. "Are my garden things still there?"

"In your drawer, in my room," Razi told her, offering her a small smile. Her eyes stayed closed as she leaned against the back wall.

"I have a drawer?"

Alyssa sounded vaguely surprised by that, and Razi opened her eyes and turned to face her.

"You have a house. Mum's all but adopted you. I know there's something of a quality difference there, but you know it's still yours," Razi replied, then smirked a bit. "Whatever hovel you grew up in, I promise, our riches are yours to share."

"You're too kind," Alyssa said quite seriously before adding, "I might get you to repeat that one day if my mother is ever in tremendous incurable pain; the world's sweetest mercy killing. Did you need any help with the theory from today's potion?"

"I'll trade you for Herbology review. It felt like Slughorn was speaking Greek today," Razi returned despairingly.

"Josh…Avery, I should say," Alyssa faltered but Razi nudged her shoulder.

Tired of guarded words and forbidden topics, she gave Alyssa a look. _Go on, it's fine_.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. _Really?_

"You're around him a lot now, and I think that you… that you don't entirely… Why even do this if we can't talk?" Razi sighed.

"He says Slughorn's probably starting to plan one of his parties. He's always focuses less on reviewing as we go when he's distracted, forgets we aren't NEWT level yet," Alyssa replied.

"That's well spotted, clever even." Razi offered, somewhat flatly.

"You don't have to compliment him," Alyssa murmured. "I know what you think of him. I know what he is."

"It was due," Razi countered softly. "I've made a point of giving people what they're owed. Even if they're Avery. Now, we don't have much time. Translate Slughorn for me?"

She did, and they even had time to touch on Herbology before Razi had to leave to get her things for Astronomy. Before they left the carrel, Razi turned to Alyssa and asked, "When?"

"I'll let you know," Alyssa replied. "Same time next week if I don't?"

"I'll find you," Razi promised, and took down her spells. The two headed back through the library, and parted, going off in different directions.


End file.
